Year-long backlog still plagues BreastCheck service

Irish Cancer Society chief executive Averil Power said cancer was easier to treat and there are higher chances of survival when it is picked up earlier.

Women continue to be called one year later than they should be for BreastCheck screening as the impact of the pandemic shutdowns continue, the HSE Board has been warned.

The Irish Cancer Society has called for urgent funding to address this, saying staff cannot catch up with the backlog without extra supports.

During the pandemic, the BreastCheck programme stopped calling women for screening between March and October 2020, and again between January and March 2021.

The latest available minutes for the HSE Board, published this week, show chief executive Bernard Gloster reported that: “The programme remains 12 months behind schedule due to the pause in services during the covid pandemic.” 

He said the delays were “under active monitoring” by the Breast Screening Executive.

Information shared with patients on the HSE’s breast screening portal states women should receive their first invitation to a screening within two years of turning 50.

However it cautions: “Due to covid-19, you may be 53 when you get your first invitation.” 

Irish Cancer Society chief executive Averil Power said cancer was easier to treat and there are higher chances of survival when it is picked up earlier.

“Screening enables cancer to be detected before the person has even noticed any symptoms,” she said on Monday. “Healthcare staff across Ireland work tirelessly every single day to screen as many people as possible. 

However, they need additional resources to clear the backlog caused by the covid-19 pandemic and ensure everyone is screened as often as they should be.” 

She called on the Government to ensure BreastCheck and also CervicalCheck and BowelScreen are adequately resourced.

“We also encourage people to attend their screening appointment and to talk to their GP if they notice any changes in their body between appointments,” she said.

The programme’s national target coverage rate is 70% of eligible women. Figures previously released to Social Democrats health spokeswoman Róisín Shortall show before the pandemic this aim was being exceeded.

So, between 2017 and 2019 between 71% and 74% of those eligible were screened. However, despite efforts to catch up during 2020, this fell to 62.4% during 2021 and last year stood at 69.9%.

The National Screening Service had previously said it estimated the risk for older women of catching covid-19 was greater than the risk posed by delays in screening. 

Staff were redeployed to work with women considered at high risk because they had symptoms.

A HSE spokeswoman said the delays meant “women have been waiting 3 years between screens” instead of two years.

“We are pleased to report that we are now screening similar numbers of women per day as we did pre-covid,” she said however.

“Many women screened in 2023 will now receive their next screening invite in two years’ time. In 2024 we aim to return to screening all women every two years.” 

 They have three additional Breastcheck mobile units to increase capacity. Funding was also provided for additional radiology hours in Cork and Galway, along international recruitment campaigns.