Kevin Foster MP has today (Thursday 12th January 2023) welcomed news patients in Torbay and South Devon will benefit from better diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer thanks to government investment.
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust will receive a new mobile breast screening unit and an upgrade to remote access support after the government pledged an additional £10 million to provide 29 new NHS mobile breast cancer screening units and nearly 70 life-saving upgrades to services in areas where they are most needed.
These new units and service upgrades will allow more women to be screened earlier improving outcomes for patients. Screening will be focused in areas where it is most needed, tackling health disparities and improving diagnosis rates.
This investment will also help deliver a more accessible NHS where patients receive care close to home.
Kevin Foster MP said: “Detecting cancer early can make the vital difference. This new unit will help ensure more women in our bay can be screened earlier, giving the best chance of detecting and treating breast cancer.”
The funding is now in place for NHS trusts to spend within the 2022/23 financial year and the timing for delivery of units will be individual to each trust.
The commitment to provide additional breast screening units was made in the Women’s Health Strategy published in July 2022 which is designed to improve equality of healthcare.
The government has also committed to improving diagnosis, treatment and survival rates as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. By 2028, the government has committed to 75% of people with cancer being diagnosed at stages 1 and 2, up from 55% and for 55,000 more people each year to survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis.
Each year more than two million women have breast cancer screening in the UK. Screening saves around 1,300 women every year with around 21,000 cancers detected. This investment in breast screening units will continue to increase capacity to detect and deliver life-saving treatment.
