More than 5,200 people were not invited for routine screenings including for bowel, breast and cervical cancer, due to issues with ‘incomplete’ GP registrations, a minister has revealed.
Public health and prevention minister Ashley Dalton told Parliament in a statement yesterday that this happened as patients’ general practice registration process ‘was not completed correctly’, meaning their details were not passed to NHS screening systems.
She said that as a result, around 5,261 people have not been invited for routine screening, and that records indicate that up to 10 patients have been diagnosed with a relevant cancer and were not invited for certain screening.
Around 10 people who were not invited for screening ‘may have died from a relevant cancer’, she added.
She said: ‘In the summer of 2024, a small number of people contacted NHS England to say they had not been invited for screening. NHS England commissioned further investigation which led to an issue within GP registration being identified in late December.
‘This issue, which has continued since 2008, affected the bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening programmes, as well as abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.
‘It did not affect the diabetic eye screening programme, or any of the antenatal or newborn screening programmes. Since then, work has been undertaken to identify the individuals affected. Where relevant, work is ongoing to assess any clinical implications of their delayed screening.’
NHS England said it had issued guidance to ICBs and GP practices to ‘make sure all patient registrations are fully completed’ and that new measures were put in place to ensure those eligible are invited for screening.
According to the minister, the problem relates to when a patient registers at a new GP practice, and to GP registrations returned to some GP practices by Primary Care Support England (PCSE) for further information or review that had not been completed, or the GP practice had not sent a message to complete the patient’s registration.
She added: ‘Incomplete registrations were not passed to the NHS screening programme IT systems and, therefore, some people had not been invited to their routine screening. Processes have been put in place to make sure that new GP registrations will be closely monitored and updated on systems as necessary.’
The letters were posted to affected patients who are still eligible for a screening programme, or who were previously eligible for a screening programme but now exceed the programme’s upper age limit.
The letter will explain what has happened and next steps, including details of the helpline which has been set up by NHS England.
NHS England director for vaccinations and screening Steve Russell said: ‘The NHS is contacting 5,261 people who have not been invited for screening due to their GP registration not being fully completed – this issue has now been fixed and everyone affected will be offered support and any catch-up screening as soon as possible, including where they may now be above screening age.
‘We would like to extend our sincere apologies to those affected for this error and any additional worry this may have caused – anyone who is concerned they may have missed an invitation to screening can call our dedicated helpline for support and further information.
‘Around 15 million people are invited to NHS screening every year and it is important that everyone eligible can access these life-saving programmes. The NHS has issued guidance to GP Practices and Integrated Care Boards to make sure all patient registrations are fully completed and has put in place new measures to ensure all eligible people are invited for screening.’
It comes after a report found that cancer death rates are 60% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of the UK compared with the least deprived.
Earlier this year, NHS England announced that AI would be used to help detect breast cancer in 30 sites across the country as part of a trial to test how AI tools can help earlier diagnosis.
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse.
