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FOI release

FOI – 2025-000076 Breast Screening Appointment Figures (HTML)

Published on 19 March 2025

Date received – 06 March 2024 | Date responded – 19 March 2024

Request

  1. The number of breast screening appointments that were unattended/not attended in 2024.
  • if possible please distinguish between appointments that were eventually rescheduled and attended and ones that were not.
  1. The number of women who currently have not had a breast screening appointment despite being offered it
  • twice (twice in last six years)
  • thrice (three times in last nine years)

In other words people who have been offered it multiple times but haven't attended.

  1. How many women over the age of 71 made a self-referral for breast screening in last three years broken down calendar year (2022, 2023, 2024).

  2. How many self-referrals were approved and how many were rejected in last three years broken down by calendar year (2022, 2023, 2024)

Response

1. The number of breast screening appointments that were unattended/not attended in 2024.

  • if possible please distinguish between appointments that were eventually rescheduled and attended and ones that were not.  

Under FOISA Section 17(1) for “Information Not Held” NSS does not hold this information. The 6 NHS Boards commissioned to provide the breast screening programme across Scotland (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland and NHS Ayrshire and Arran) may be able to provide this information. 

In order to obtain the information you have requested we suggest that you make your request with the 6 afore mentioned Health Boards directly using the email addresses listed below, as under the terms of FOISA we are unable to transfer this request on your behalf.

Public Health Scotland have published the latest data for the Scottish Breast Screening Programme which is available here:

Scottish breast screening programme statistics - Annual update to 31 March 2023 - Scottish breast screening programme statistics - Publications - Public Health Scotland 

The 2023/24 publication is anticipated Summer 2025.

However the routine datasets that inform these national statistical publications does not detail appointments that were not attended and some people cannot attend (or cancel/rearrange) appointments but then attend at a later date.  The final uptake figures will therefore mask a number of non-attendances where the participant did attend later.  

2. The number of women who currently have not had a breast screening appointment despite being offered it

twice (twice in last six years)

  • thrice (three times in last nine years)  

In other words people who have been offered it multiple times but haven't attended.

In line with the Scottish Information Commissioner’s Exemption Briefing for Section 17(1) for “Information Not Held” paragraphs 46 and 47 (page 6), NSS does hold this information but is not in a readily accessible state within the national breast screening IT system as this data is not routinely collected.  In order for NSS to provide an answer to this question, new information would need to be created from different datasets.  NSS have judged that the creation of this new data would require skill and complex judgement and is therefore exempt from release under the exemption.

Public Health Scotland have published the 1 and 3 yearly programme data on their website: Scottish breast screening programme statistics - Annual update to 31 March 2023 - Scottish breast screening programme statistics - Publications - Public Health Scotland

3. How many women over the age of 71 made a self-referral for breast screening in last three years broken down calendar year (2022, 2023, 2024).

Under FOISA Section 17(1) for “Information Not Held”, NSS does not hold this information. 

In order to obtain the information you have requested, we suggest that you make your request with the 6 afore mentioned Health Boards directly using the email addresses listed below, as under the terms of FOISA we are unable to transfer this request on your behalf.

4. How many self-referrals were approved and how many were rejected in last three years broken down by calendar year (2022, 2023, 2024)?

The Scottish Breast Screening Programme paused self-referrals in 2020 to support the re-instatement and recovery of the programme following the Covid-19 pandemic.  A phased re-introduction of self-referrals commenced from November 2022 with full extension to include those over 75 with no previous history of breast cancer across Scotland from December 2023.  This was a planned phased re-introduction of self-referrals and as such no clients were rejected.

Under FOISA Section 17(1) for “Information Not Held”, NSS does not hold the number of self-referrals that were approved and screened. This information may be available from the six NHS Boards commissioned to provide the breast screening programme.

I trust you will find the information of assistance and if you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of how we have dealt with your request, you can make representations to us asking us to review the handling of your request.

If you require any further information, please contact the Associate Director Governance and Board Services (Board Secretary) within 40 working days of the date of this correspondence.

Contact

Email: nss.foi@nhs.scot

Address

NHS National Services Scotland
Headquarters
Gyle Square
1 South Gyle Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 9EB

If after a review you are still unhappy, you also have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner, who can be contacted at Kinburn Castle, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS, or via their application form.

National Services Scotland (NSS) is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. You can view all FOI responses within our FOI Publications repository.

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