The number of women being screened for breast cancer in Scotland is at its highest ever level, as new statistics reveal both a continued trend of increased uptake and persistent inequalities across areas of deprivation.

More than three in four women invited for a breast screening appointment between 2020 and 2023 took this up, according to a new Public Health Scotland screening report.

The new figures indicate that this is the highest level yet, rising from around 74.5% in the previous three-year monitoring period – which itself was above the pre-pandemic uptake levels.

The statistics from the Scottish breast screening programme also show that each and every NHS board across Scotland has met the ‘acceptable uptake’ standard of 70% for a second year in a row.

This comes after a Scotland Policy conference on cancer care heard that the cancer workforce is “not going in the right trajectory”, and more support is needed to fill staff shortfalls beyond the central belt.

Meanwhile, research published in The Lancet Digital Health last year revealed that while ‘vital’, breast cancer screening needs to be more personalised to effectively identify risk.

Researchers explained that current screening systems come with challenges – detecting tumours that are not harmful and resulting in unnecessary treatments and costs to the NHS.

An independent review of breast cancer screening estimated that for every 10,000 women aged 50 invited to screening, 43 cancer deaths will be prevented but 129 women will be ‘overdiagnosed’.

Scotland’s Public Health and Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto recognised that more work is needed to adequately address cancer care in Scotland and see breast cancer screening uptake rise further:

“I am pleased that more women are attending breast screening appointments and that boards have individually met their target for a second year in a row.

“However, there is more work to be done to reach the achievable target of 80% and to encourage people from more deprived areas to attend their appointments.

“We will continue to work with health boards to encourage more women to participate in breast screening and address any barriers they may face in doing so.”

Yet, this new breast screening programme report also reveals that women from deprived areas were less likely to attend for screening.

Between 2020-2023, 64.2% of women living in the most deprived areas went for screening compared to 82.8% of women from Scotland’s least deprived areas.

Public Health Scotland, which coordinates the monitoring of the screening programme, says this difference in uptake linked to deprivation is seen across other national screening programmes in Scotland.

Scottish Liberal Democrats leader and health spokesperson, Alex Cole Hamilton said investing in local services could help address these inequalities, adding:

“These disparities will make for upsetting reading, especially when we know that early diagnosis is key to treating cancer successfully.

“Ministers must pull out all the stops so that everyone eligible for screening programmes is being invited and encouraged to attend.”

Breast screening is offered to women aged between 50 to 70 in Scotland around every 36 months, in line with the UK’s National Screening Committee recommendation.

After all adult screening programmes were paused due to COVID-19, breast screenings for over-71s also restarted in October 2022.

Scotland’s breast screening programme continues to offer appointments at six centres across the country, as well as through mobile screening units aiming to reach women in rural and remote areas.

Read more: All cancer patients to access extra support by 2024; Inside Scotland's widening health inequalities; ‘Substantial' drop in cancer deaths; Can Scotland make health fairer?

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