Thousands seek advice following breast cancer screening campaign

Tens of thousands of people have sought NHS advice on attending mammograms following the launch of the first ever breast cancer screening campaign last week.

(c) National Cancer Institute/Unsplash

(c) National Cancer Institute/Unsplash

Visits to NHS break screening advice pages rose by 145% in the week ending 24 February to 32,432.

Michelle Kane, director of screening and vaccination at NHS England, said: ‘In only the second week since launch, it's hugely encouraging to see the impact that our breast cancer screening campaign is already having in encouraging people to seek advice and come forward for screening.'

The campaign saw a 97% increase in clicks to the breast-screening-services finder, where women, aged between 50 and 71, can see where they can get screened in their local area.

Google Trends data also revealed the highest volume of Google searches for ‘Breast screening' in England in the last five years. 

The landmark NHS campaign has seen celebrities, including Newsnight anchor Victoria Derbyshire, broadcaster and presenter Julia Bradbury, and Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas, write ‘unofficial' invitation letters to women about their personal experiences of screening to reassure them and encourage them to attend. They are joined by cancer survivors, NHS staff and TV doctors in sharing letters in a number of films. 

As part of the campaign, This Morning's presenter Vanessa Feltz was screened live on the programme on 24 February from Edgware Community Hospital in North London, Royal Free London NHS Trust.

Women registered with a GP are now automatically invited for NHS breast screening for the first time between the ages of 50 and 53, then every three years until their 71st birthday – while women aged 71 and over can self-refer for screening.

 

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