Tens of thousands seek NHS advice on breast cancer screening following launch of first-ever NHS campaign

Tens of thousands have accessed NHS advice on attending mammograms since the launch of the first-ever NHS breast cancer screening campaign last week.

There were 32,432 visits to NHS breast screening advice pages last week (Monday 17 February – 24 February) – an increase of 145% in just a week. 

The NHS in England launched its first-ever awareness campaign last Monday (17 Feb) to highlight the benefits of screening and encourage more women to make the most of regular mammograms, as figures showed more than four in ten (46.3%) invited for the first time don't act on their invitation.

There was a 97% increase in clicks to the breast-screening-services finder, where women, aged between 50 and 71, can see where they can get screened in their local area.

Google Trends data also shows last week saw the highest volume of Google searches for ‘Breast screening' in England in the last five years. 

The landmark NHS campaign has seen 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. They are joined by cancer survivors, NHS staff and TV doctors in sharing letters in a number of moving films. 

As part of the campaign, This Morning's presenter Vanessa Feltz was screened live on the programme on Monday [24^th February] from Edgware Community Hospital in North London, Royal Free London NHS Trust.

Outside the mobile screening van where her mammogram was taking place, Vanessa Feltz spoke to breast cancer survivors Philomena Ofodu and Liz Jadav alongside NHS mammographer Geeta Modha about what to expect from her screening and encourage women to come forward for potentially life-saving appointments.

Following Monday's broadcast by This Morning, visits to NHS breast screening advice pages peaked at a combined 6,482 visits compared to a daily average of 3,486 visits for January, prior to the start of the campaign - an increase of 68% and the equivalent of one visit every 13 seconds. 

Michelle Kane, Director of Screening and Vaccination at NHS England, said: “In only the second week since launch, it's hugely encouraging to see the impact that our breast cancer screening campaign is already having in encouraging people to seek advice and come forward for screening. 

"We know that if 80% of women who are eligible attended next year, nearly a million more women could be screened and over 7,500 additional breast cancers detected at an earlier stage, when it is more treatable.

"That's why, we're incredibly grateful to Vanessa, Victoria, Julia and everyone else involved for so openly sharing their experiences with the public to support more women to attend these potentially life-saving appointments."

Women registered with a GP are automatically invited for NHS breast screening for the first time between the ages of 50 and 53, then every three years until their 71st birthday – while women aged 71 and over can self-refer for screening.

While most women attending screening will receive peace of mind that they have no early signs of breast cancer, the NHS encouraged women to ensure they continue to check their breasts regularly between their screening appointments and to get any unusual changes checked out by their GP.

Breast screening does have some risks. Some women who have screening will be diagnosed and treated for slow-growing breast cancers that may never otherwise have been found or caused them harm. Mammograms also do not always find a cancer that is there, but most people feel the benefits of breast screening outweigh the possible risks.