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Britain falls out of love with the NHS: poll reveals three in five now expect delays

People no longer believe the NHS will treat them quickly if they fall ill, according to new polling showing wide dissatisfaction about the state of the health service.

With hundreds of ambulances stacked outside overstretched A&E departments and patients languishing on record waiting lists, voters are far more likely to say the service has worsened than improved in the last year.

Fifty-eight per cent are not confident they would receive timely treatment from the NHS if they fell ill tomorrow, with 36 per cent not confident at all and 22 per cent just not confident. Meanwhile, 45 per cent believe the service they receive has worsened in the past 12 months. Just over half think it has become harder to get an appointment with their local doctor while 41 per cent think their local GP service has worsened.

Robert Ede, head of health and social care at the Policy Exchange think tank, said: “It is concerning to see that a majority of the public don’t believe they would receive timely treatment from the NHS if they became ill tomorrow. There is a risk that the perception of a service in crisis beds in and actually leads to a complete erosion in public confidence."

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Source: The Times (27 August 2022)

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Bristol woman 'still devastated' after being put through unnecessary mesh bowel surgery

A Bristol woman says her life has 'never been the same' since receiving unnecessary operations on her bowel more than ten years ago.

Following a recent review, Mandy Giltrow is one of more than 200 patients who received a mesh bowel procedure - which she says may not have been needed.

The operations were all conducted by surgeon Tony Dixon who has been sacked by the North Bristol NHS Trust.

Mandy Giltrow underwent a mesh bowel procedure which was performed by Mr Dixon at Frenchay Hospital in April 2011.

Following the surgery her symptoms continued. Following follow up appointments Mandy, a mum-of-four, underwent a further procedure in April 2013.

Mr Dixon carried out a further operation in October 2014 at Spire Bristol to replace mesh.

However Mandy, who is 49 and lives in Staple Hill, continues to suffer issues including stomach and bowel pain as well as recurrent water infections. She also has a hernia near her surgery scars.

North Bristol NHS Trust has since admitted liability.

Mandy told ITV West Country: "I got anxiety for all the different operations I had and then I physically could not do anything. I was stuck for three months in a bubble."

"I couldn't go out, I couldn't do anything with my children not even take them to school."

Mandy says her mental health was badly affected by the operations leading to a nervous breakdown and agoraphobia, meaning she could not lead the house.

"You have an operation. It doesn't resolve the original problem and now you have another problem which is twice as bad."

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Source: ITV, 30 May 2022

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Bristol surgeon Tony Dixon defends not waking patient for consent

A surgeon has said it would have been "cruel and unacceptable" to have woken up a patient to get consent for a mesh operation.

Anthony Dixon is accused of failing to provide adequate clinical care to five patients at Southmead Hospital and the private Spire Hospital in Bristol.

He had pioneered the use of artificial mesh to lift prolapsed bowels.

Mr Dixon appeared at a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing in Manchester on Thursday.

He faces charges of performing procedures that were not "clinically indicated", failing to carry out tests and investigations and failing to obtain consent from patients.

It followed complaints many had suffered pain or trauma after having pelvic floor surgery using artificial mesh, a technique known as laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR).

Giving evidence, he was asked why he did not consider waking up one female patient who underwent an LVMR, to get her consent to surgery.

Mr Dixon said it would have meant giving her more drugs for pain relief and could have "multiplied the risks" to her.

He is also accused of failing to advise patients about the risks of procedures, failing to discuss non-surgical options and dismissing patients' concerns when they experienced pain or other symptoms following surgery.

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Source: BBC News, 23 November 2023

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Bristol surgeon struck off after leaving patients in agony following 'mesh' surgery

A surgeon who performed artificial mesh operations unnecessarily on more than 200 patients at two hospitals in Bristol has been struck off the medical register.  

Anthony Dixon was found to have left patients in agony following bowel surgery at the Southmead and Spire Hospitals. 

Mr Dixon denied the claims against him in two separate tribunals but the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing (MPTS) ordered his removal from the medical register. 

Allegations about his conduct first arose 8 years ago. 

He was one of the UK’s leading surgeons based at Southmead Hospital and Spire Hospital in Bristol where he’d pioneered the use of artificial mesh to treat prolapsed bowels. 

Over the two medical tribunals, it emerged that he had failed to gain informed consent to operate on five patients and acted dishonestly by fabricating patients’ records long after his involvement in their care. 

Three years ago a review by Southmead Hospital found more than 200 patients were operated on unnecessarily and dozens were left in agony. 

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Source: ITVX, 6 August 2025

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Bristol surgeon ‘harmed’ 203 women with unnecessary operations

More than 200 women were harmed when a rogue surgeon carried out operations on them unnecessarily, an NHS inquiry has found.

Some of the women were left with life-changing physical problems or unable to work, while many also suffered trauma and serious psychological harm as a result.

Overall, 203 women on whom Anthony Dixon performed procedures between 2007 and 2017 came to harm, according to a review by the North Bristol NHS trust (NBT). Dixon, who for years was Britain’s most influential pelvic surgeon, worked for both the trust and the private Spire hospital in the city.

In 2017, NBT launched a review of Dixon’s performance and suspended him after dozens of women he had performed procedures on complained that they had experienced appalling consequences, including unmanageable pain and incontinence. The Guardian revealed in late 2017 that 100 women were suing him for medical negligence. Some cases have since been settled, but dozens are ongoing.

NBT sacked Dixon in 2019 and he is currently banned from practising in the UK.

During the review, 378 women were recalled and asked to set out their dealings with Dixon. All had undergone a procedure called laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR), in which plastic mesh is inserted to repair weakened tissue in the pelvic floor.

In papers presented to NBT’s board on Thursday, board members were told that the inquiry had concluded. “The trust has notified 203 NHS patients that, although their LVMR operation was carried out satisfactorily, they should have been offered alternative treatments before proceeding to surgery. We have defined these patients as suffering ‘harm’ as a result,” it said.

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Source: The Guardian, 26 May 2022

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Bristol Spire Hospital widens investigation into mesh surgeon

A hospital review of mesh operations by a surgeon who left dozens of patients in agony is now looking into another type of procedure he carried out.

Tony Dixon, who used mesh surgery to treat bowel problems, has always maintained he did the operations in good faith.

Now it has emerged that other patients who had their rectum stapled are also being written to.

Spire Hospital Bristol said its "comprehensive" review remains ongoing.

Mr Dixon pioneered the use of artificial mesh to lift prolapsed bowels and a review of the care he gave patients receiving Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy has already concluded.

Now the Spire has contacted patients who underwent a Stapled Transanal Rectal Resection (STARR operation) with Mr Dixon.

Many of the affected patients have told the BBC they did not give informed consent for the procedure and are in chronic pain.

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Source: 11 September 2023

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Bristol NHS 'causing harm' to patients by withholding thyroid drug

Bristol's NHS commissioning group is one of many across the country which is "causing harm" to people with thyroid problems by limiting the provision of a drug, a new report says.

Analysis from the Thyroid Trust says that 58 per cent of NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups in England are withdrawing, refusing or reducing prescriptions of T3 for people with underactive thyroids - against national guidance. People who have thyroid problems can suffer from depression, crippling fatigue, weight gain and muscle weakness, which can be alleviated by the drug.

But the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG does not permit prescribing the drug for new patients, according to the report. One Westcountry woman told the Express that she had her T3 prescription withdrawn, which caused her significant problems.

Former police officer Carole Morgan-Anstee, 62, told the website she went through "hell" after her T3 was stopped. The Somerset woman was prescribed the drug after suffering symptoms including chronic fatigue and hair loss for 15 years.

But after being treated with T3 for five years, her endocrinologist told her he had been ordered to stop prescribing it for her. He reportedly said the problem was that her local Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG had began cutting back on T3 supplies.

Carole said: "I was really upset. It was hell. My treatment was completely within the guidelines and he knew how ill I would get if they took it away.

The Thyroid Trust report says: "Around the country most Clinical Commissioning Groups have policies in place which are causing harm to patients by denying treatment. In those cases where this has occurred, patients have resorted to the private sector or to informal means, such as buying the medication online, or even travelling abroad where it is sometimes available to buy over the counter, to source the medicine they need which the NHS should be providing.

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Source: Bristol Post, 15 June 2022

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Bristol mesh surgeon to face allegations of patient harm

Details of allegations against a surgeon who left dozens of patients in agony after undergoing mesh operations have been published.

A tribunal will look at whether Tony Dixon failed to provide adequate clinical care to six patients at Southmead Hospital and the private Spire Hospital in Bristol.

He had pioneered the use of artificial mesh to lift prolapsed bowels.

The surgeon, who was dismissed in 2019, has always maintained the operations were done in good faith, and that any surgery could have complications.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal, which starts in Manchester on 11 September and is due to end on 23 November, will look into allegations that between 2010 and 2016 Mr Dixon failed to provide adequate clinical care in a number of areas, including:

  • ensuring procedures for some of the patients were clinically indicated
  • adequately advising some of the patients regarding options for treatment
  • obtaining informed consent before performing clinical procedures
  • adequately performing a procedure for one patient
  • providing adequate post-operative care for some
  • communicating appropriately with some of the patients and their family members.

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Source: BBC News, 24 August 2023

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Bristol children must be in crisis before autism referral, say parents

Children must now be in crisis before they can be referred for an autism diagnosis, parents claim.

The strict new eligibility criteria in the Bristol region comes after a 350% rise in the number waiting more than two years for assessment.

Changes made by the NHS mean children will only be referred with "severe and enduring" mental health issues.

The Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it meant resources could now focus on those with "the highest clinical need".

Some parents have launched the campaign Assess for Autism in protest against the rule change.

An Assess for Autism spokesperson said children would now have to be at crisis point before being referred, describing the policy as "deeply concerning" and "regressive".

However, healthcare provider Sirona, which provides autism diagnosis services, and the Integrated Care Board (ICB), which formally approved the new policy, insist it is necessary because families are waiting too long.

They said resources can now be focused on those with the "highest clinical need or are the most vulnerable".

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Source: BBC News, 22 March 2023

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Brexit: Health leaders issue new no-deal warning

Health leaders have written to Boris Johnson issuing new warnings on the impact of a no-deal Brexit. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the heads of 17 royal colleges and health charities across the UK say clinicians are "unable to reassure patients" their health and care will not be affected. 

They go on to say they have "significant concerns about shortages of medical supplies". Government said it was working with the health sector on "robust preparations". 

The letter, co-ordinated by the Royal College of Physicians, is signed by the heads of organisations including the British Dental Association, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Kidney Care UK and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. It calls for the Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock to be put on the EU exit strategy committee chaired by Michael Gove, who is in charge of no-deal planning.

The signatories argue that - given the scale of the NHS - without sufficient planning, even the smallest of problems could have "huge consequences on the lives of millions of people".

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Source: BBC News, 21 August 2019

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Brexit has worsened shortage of NHS doctors, analysis shows

Brexit has worsened the UK’s acute shortage of doctors in key areas of care and led to more than 4,000 European doctors choosing not to work in the NHS, research reveals.

The disclosure comes as growing numbers of medics quit in disillusionment at their relentlessly busy working lives in the increasingly overstretched health service. Official figures show the NHS in England alone has vacancies for 10,582 physicians.

Britain has 4,285 fewer European doctors than if the rising numbers who were coming before the Brexit vote in 2016 had been maintained since then, according to analysis by the Nuffield Trust.

In 2021, a total of 37,035 medics from the EU and European free trade area (EFTA) were working in the UK. However, there would have been 41,320 – or 4,285 more – if the decision to leave the EU had not triggered a “slowdown” in medical recruitment from the EU and the EFTA quartet of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

The dropoff has left four major types of medical specialities that have longstanding doctor shortages – anaesthetics, children, psychiatry, and heart and lung treatment – failing to keep up with a demand for care heightened by Covid and an ageing population.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 November 2022

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Brexit a key factor in worst UK medicine shortages in four years, report says

Drug shortages in the UK have risen to their worst level for four years, official figures show, with Brexit considered a key reason so many medications are scarce.

Drug companies notified the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) about disruptions to supply 1,938 times during last year – the highest number since the 1,967 seen in 2021.

Medications to treat epilepsy and cystic fibrosis are among those that pharmacists are finding it hard or impossible to get hold of, creating risks for patients’ health.

The figures have emerged in a new report by the Nuffield Trust health thinktank, which obtained them under freedom of information laws from the DHSC, which oversees the availability of drugs UK-wide.

Mark Dayan, a policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust and its Brexit programme lead, said: “This wave of medicine shortages has already meant people struggle to find the drugs their doctors told them were needed for conditions like epilepsy and cystic fibrosis. It’s very worrying that it appears to be rolling on at full force into a third year.”

The report says that while drug shortages have become a problem globally in recent years, the UK is facing “a worsening situation” compared with the rest of Europe because of Brexit.

“Elevated and troubling levels of medicine shortages are continuing, with no consistent sign of improvement. The UK has had the lowest import growth in medicines of any G7 country, driven by a reduction in EU imports,” the thinktank adds.

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Source: The Guardian, 22 March 2025

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Share on the hub your experiences of medication shortages: Medication supply issues: have you been affected?

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Breathing machines still not repaired after safety recall

Two-thirds of defective breathing machines distributed by the health service have not been repaired or replaced in the 12 months since they were subject to a worldwide recall over safety concerns.

Philips Respironics last year issued a field safety notice for a series of ventilation devices because the polyester-based foam used to dampen the noise of the machines can break down. The foam particles or potentially toxic chemicals may be inhaled or ingested by patients.

Almost 8,000 of the affected machines have been contracted by the Health Safety Executive (HSE) for use in hospitals and private homes, including 6,394 continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, 1,348 bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) devices, and 147 mechanical ventilators.

However, the HSE told The Times that only 2,723 devices had been repaired or replaced a year after the recall was announced. A spokesman did not respond when asked if the HSE was concerned about patient safety, given that more than 5,000 devices have not been attended to.

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Source: The Times, 8 July 2022

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Breathing issues cause more emergency NHS admissions than any other condition

Serious breathing problems lead to more emergency admissions to hospital in England than any other medical condition, NHS data reveals.

More people with asthma, bronchitis or emphysema have to go into hospital for treatment because they are struggling to breathe than those with heart disease, joint problems or cancer.

During 2023-24 hospitals in England recorded 868,212 emergency admissions for diseases of the respiratory system, NHS figures obtained by Asthma + Lung UK show. That represented one in eight of all the 5.2m unplanned admissions during the year.

Such admissions are contributing significantly to hospitals being overwhelmed so often, and especially during winter, when cold weather breeds infections, the charity said.

Asthma + Lung UK claims the number of unplanned stays in hospital for breathing problems is so high because of a “collapse in care for people with lung conditions” in recent years.

“Lung conditions are silently suffocating the NHS, pushing it to breaking point and causing 66,524 deaths every year,” said Sarah Sleet, its chief executive. “Every day, people with respiratory conditions are needlessly suffering, hospitals are overwhelmed by emergency admissions for breathing issues, particularly during the winter.”

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Source: The Guardian, 11 November 2024

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Breast surgeon's victim wants faster improvements

Victims of breast surgeon Ian Paterson said independent inquiry improvements are not being implemented fast enough.

Paterson was jailed in 2017 after he was found to have carried out needless operations on patients across Birmingham and Solihull. The 2020 report's recommendations include the recall of his 11,000 patients to assess their treatment.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it is working to stop future patients facing similar harm.

On Sunday, ITV screened a documentary 'Bodies of Evidence: The Butcher Surgeon' which featured victim and campaigner Debbie Douglas, who was instrumental in getting the inquiry established.

She said the government needs "to put pace behind" the work to implement the 15 recommendations it made.

"It is important those recommendations are embedded in legislation, it is important there is governance over those recommendations to stop another Paterson, it is important that there is a proper consent procedure," she said.

The recommendations called for consultants to write directly to patients to explain proposed surgical treatment as standard practice, a public register to detail which types of operations surgeons are able to perform and for patients to be given time to reflect on their diagnosis and treatment options before they are asked to consent to surgery.

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Source: BBC News, 14 June 2022

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Breast screening: One million women in UK may have missed scans

Almost one million women in the UK have missed vital breast screening due to coronavirus, a leading charity has estimated.

Breast screening programmes were paused in March as the NHS focused resources on tackling the pandemic. Breast Cancer Now calculates that around 8,600 women who have not had a scan have undetected breast cancer.

The scanning programme is running again, but social distancing measures have reduced capacity. Combined with the significant backlog of women waiting for a scan, and more women starting to come forward with concerns about possible symptoms, the charity warns the service is under intense pressure.

Breast cancer diagnosed at a later stage can be harder to treat.

Breast Cancer Now estimates that a total of 986,000 women across the UK missed their mammograms due to breast screening programmes being paused. The estimate is based on the average number of women screened per month, and the approximate length of time the screening programme was suspended, in each part of the UK. This breaks down to almost 838,000 women in England, 78,000 in Scotland, 48,000 in Wales and 23,000 in Northern Ireland.

The charity is calling for an action plan and new resources to tackle the problem.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, Breast Cancer Now chief executive, said: "That nearly one million women across the UK were caught up in the backlog waiting for breast screening is cause for grave concern.

"Mammograms are a key tool in the early detection of breast cancer, which is critical to stopping women dying from the disease.

"We understand that the breast screening programme was paused out of necessity due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, but we must now press play to ensure that all women can access breast screening, and we cannot afford for the programme to be paused again."

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Source: BBC News, 30 September 2020

Breast Cancer Now press release

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Breast screening women in their 40s 'could save lives'

Screening women for breast cancer from their 40s rather than their 50s could save lives without adding to the diagnosis of harmless cancers, a UK study has found.

The research was based on 160,000 women from England, Scotland and Wales, followed up for around 23 years.

Lowering the screening age could save one life per 1,000 women checked, the scientists say.

But experts caution there are many other considerations, including cost.

Cancer Research UK says it is still "not clear if reducing the breast screening age would give any additional benefit compared to the UK's existing screening programme".

The charity says the priority should be getting cancer services "back on track" for women aged 50-70, after disruption caused by the pandemic.

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Source: BBC News, 13 August 2020

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Breast implant victims to receive compensation

More than 2,500 women who were victims of the PIP breast implant scandal should receive compensation, a French appeal court has decided.

It also upheld an earlier judgement finding German company TUV Rheinland, which awarded safety certificates for the faulty implants, negligent.

The case in Paris involved 540 British women, who said they suffered long-term health effects.

The results could have far-reaching implications for other victims.

Jan Spivey is one of the women in the case. She was given PIP implants after she had a mastectomy due to breast cancer.

She developed sore and aching joints, chest and back pain, fatigue, severe headaches and anxiety. Once removed it was clear her implants had been leaking silicone into her body.

She says the implants have had a massive impact on her mental health.

"My PIP implants from 20 years ago are still impacting on my life and my health and my wellbeing, even today."

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Source: BBC News, 19 May 2021

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Breast cancer: Patient creates app to help with treatment

A mobile app designed by a patient is helping people with breast cancer prepare for the start of radiotherapy.

The treatment requires them to raise their arm above their head, but patients often find that difficult or painful after breast surgery. Exercises are important but Karen Bonham said leaflets giving details did not help her enough.

So she helped create the app to offer exercise videos and medics say it is helping more women be ready on time. Staff at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff say they have noticed fewer patients needing urgent referral for physiotherapy ahead of the treatment since the "Breast Axilla Postoperative Support app", or BAPS App, was launched in February.

Kate Baker, clinical lead physiotherapist at Velindre, who helped devise the app, said: "Previously, we've always handed out information on exercises in a leaflet, that patients would be given by a physiotherapist and taken home. But often these pieces of paper get lost and they're not followed through.

"What we wanted to do was provide exercises, physical activity advice and further information in an app format, which would allow individuals to have it with them at all times."

Donna Egbeare, breast surgeon at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, who was also involved in developing the bilingual app, said the impact of being able to start radiotherapy on schedule was significant.

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Source: BBC News, 27 November 2019

 

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Breast cancer screening uptake at its lowest point in history

Breast cancer screening uptake fell to its lowest point ever during the pandemic, as the numbers of women seen dropped by more than one third.

Just 1.19 million women aged 45 and over were screened for breast cancer in 2020-21, while the numbers of women who actually took up their invitation for screening dropped to 61%.

Analysis by Breast Cancer Now, of the new NHS figures published on Thursday, found that uptake during the first year of the pandemic was the lowest it had been since records began.

The number of women who had cancer detected through screening decreased by almost 40 per cent, although rates when calculated per 1,000 women were up by 8.4%.

The news comes after NHS figures revealed that half of patients in October waited more than two weeks following an urgent breast cancer referral.

According to analysis from the Labour Party in January, breast cancer patients faced the longest waits when compared to all other cancer referrals.

Breast Cancer Now chief executive Baroness Delyth Morgan said: “Screening uptake has hit its lowest point in history, with less than 62% of women invited being screened, despite NHS staff working tirelessly, in the toughest of circumstances, to restart and continue breast screening services after they needed to be paused in March 2020.

“The human cost behind these figures is stark, with an estimated 8,870 women in the UK living with undetected breast cancer as a result of the pandemic – a significant number of which would have been detected at routine screening. Tragically, research suggests that up to an additional 680 women could die from breast cancer in the next decade due to impacts of the pandemic on screening.”

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Source: The Independent, 24 February 2022

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Breast cancer screening process in Scotland to change after recent errors

NHS Scotland is to change the way women are called to breast cancer detection appointments after major recent errors in the screening programme.

Some eligible for screening were not invited because they had moved between GP practices or were aged over 71 by the time their practice was called.

Women aged 50 to 70 are invited for appointments once every three years, based on their GP practice.

It emerged hundreds of women in NHS Lothian may have missed screenings.

The health board said in January that 369 women considered to have a higher risk of developing the disease may not have received appointments at the right time.

A major review of the programme in Scotland has made 17 recommendations to strengthen and improve services.

They include:

  • A more "person-centred" approach based on calling individual women - rather than the GP practice where they are registered - to set their next test date.
  • Greater flexibility of appointments to provide better access and uptake, with more contact such as texts or phone calls to keep appointments on patients' radar.
  • An online appointment cancellation and rebooking system to provide greater individual convenience.
  • Evening and weekend appointments and more availability in rural and semi-urban locations.

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Source: BBC News, 24 May 2022

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Breast cancer patients in England face delays to reconstruction surgery

Women waiting for breast reconstruction surgery on the NHS in England face a “postcode lottery” of care, with some forced to wait more than three years, a damning report warns.

Two in five women (40%) waiting for breast reconstruction during the pandemic after having their breasts removed due to cancer faced a delay of 24 months or longer, according to research involving 1,246 women who either underwent reconstruction surgery or were waiting for it.

The report by charity Breast Cancer Now also warned that some breast reconstruction services are still not operating at full capacity after temporarily pausing at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It says there was a 34% drop in breast reconstruction activity in England in 2021-22 compared with 2018-19. The charity added that on top of the delays, women face a “postcode lottery” of care, with some women offered certain types of reconstruction while others are denied the same operation.

Breast Cancer Now called on NHS England to develop a plan to address the backlog of breast reconstruction services.

One woman told the authors of the report she waited for three and a half years for breast reconstruction surgery, while another said she “wants to move on with my life” but has no idea when her surgery will go ahead.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said: “For women who choose breast reconstruction, it is a core component of their recovery – far from a solely aesthetic choice, this is the reconstruction of their body and indeed their identity after they have been unravelled by breast cancer treatment and surgery.

“We hear of patients affected by delays to reconstruction surgery and the significant emotional impact this has on them, including altered body confidence, loss of self-esteem and identity, anxiety and depression, and hindering their ability to move forward with their lives, knowing their treatment is incomplete."

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Source: The Guardian, 19 October 2022

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Breast cancer missed in hundreds of women due to covid cancellations

Hundreds of women with breast cancer in London were not picked up by routine screening as services closed during the lockdown, officials have estimated.

Data from NHS England and Improvement’s London office said it expected 450 people to have breast cancer and have gone undiagnosed because of the heavily reduced amount of screening at the height of the outbreak. It was included in a letter from officials to local health system leaders, seen by HSJ.

It said the figure was an estimate based on the 115,000 routine breast screenings that would have taken place between late March and the end of June and which had to be re-scheduled.

London represents around 15% of England’s population, so a nationwide estimate would run into thousands. 

Responding to the figures, Breast Cancer Now chief executive Baroness Delyth Morgan said: ”While it’s encouraging that the breast screening programme in London is now back up and running, we are concerned to hear of the hundreds of potential delayed cancer diagnoses as a result of disruption due to the pandemic. The earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the more likely treatment is to be successful."

“With over a hundred thousand people missing out on vital breast screening during the pandemic in London alone, we urge the government to ensure there is sufficient capacity in the already-stretched workforce to meet the huge backlog and to avoid any cancers going undetected for longer.”

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Source: HSJ, 9 September 2020

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Breast cancer failings: “Culture of complacency” led to unnecessary surgery and delayed treatment at NHS trust

Patients underwent unnecessary mastectomies or had cancer diagnoses delayed because of long running systemic failures at an NHS hospital trust, an independent review has found.1

A “culture of complacency” let governance failures in the breast surgery service at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust go uncorrected from 2012 to 2025, the external review by the governance expert Mary Aubrey concluded.

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Source: BMJ News, 1 December 2025

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Breast cancer diagnoses and deaths expected to surge worldwide, says WHO

Breast cancer diagnoses and deaths are projected to surge worldwide by 2050, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency has said, with cases in the UK to rise by 21% and deaths by 42%.

Globally, one in 20 women will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime, with cases up 38% and deaths up 68% over the next 25 years, according to an analysis by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

There will be 3.2m new cases and 1.1m deaths a year worldwide by 2050 if current trends continue, the study found. In the UK, cases are expected to rise from 58,756 cases a year in 2022 to 71,006 cases a year in 2050. Deaths will jump from 12,122 a year in 2022 to 17,261 in 2050.

“Every minute, four women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and one woman dies from the disease, and these statistics are worsening,” said the IARC scientist Dr Joanne Kim, one of the authors of the report.

“Countries can mitigate or reverse these trends by adopting primary prevention policies … and by investing in early detection and treatment.”

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Source: The Guardian, 24 February 2025

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