Ten died of cancer after NHS blunder in England meant they were not invited for screening

Ten people have died from cancer and up to 10 more have been diagnosed with the disease after a blunder meant they were not invited to NHS screening programmes.

Health officials failed to invite more than 5,000 patients in total for routine checks after an IT error affected bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening programmes, as well as abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.

In a written ministerial statement on Tuesday, health minister Ashley Dalton said that NHS England had written to those affected this week.

The letters were sent to patients who are still eligible for a screening programme, or who were previously eligible for a programme but now exceed its upper age limit. NHS England has also set up a helpline.

The mistake occurred when the GP registration process of the patients was “not completed correctly, meaning their details were not passed to NHS screening system”, Dalton said.

“Records indicate that up to 10 patients have been diagnosed with a relevant cancer and were not invited for certain screening,” she added.

“The impact on these patients is not yet known and a clinical harm assessment process will be undertaken, based on expert clinical advice.

“It is with deep sadness that I must report that records also indicate that around 10 people who were not invited for screening may have died from a relevant cancer.”

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Source: The Guardian, 11 March 2025