As reported by Wired Gov, a new NHS campaign, backed by Breast Cancer Now and celebrities, urges more women to attend life-saving mammogram appointments
The NHS in England has launched its first-ever awareness campaign to highlight the benefits of screening and encourage more women to make the most of regular mammograms, as figures show more than four in ten invited for the first time don’t act on their invitation.
The campaign – supported by leading charity Breast Cancer Now – launches with a new advert across TV, radio and online to highlight that screening can detect any cancers as early as possible, while providing reassurance and relief to millions of women who get the all-clear.
New NHS estimates suggest that if screening attendance could be improved to 80% of those eligible next year (2025/26), nearly a million more women (around 925,000) could be screened, compared to 2022/23 – with over 7,500 additional breast cancers detected at an earlier stage, when they are more treatable.
The landmark NHS campaign sees 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.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “Lives are saved when cancers are caught early, and we hope this first-of-its-kind campaign for the NHS will help encourage thousands more women to have more regular breast screening. If we can help more people access NHS screening, we have a real opportunity to detect thousands more breast cancers early and ultimately save more lives.”
Be the first to comment