On Wednesday (16 December), local MP Robert Largan led a debate in Parliament on breast cancer screening, securing the reinstatement of High Peak’s breast cancer mobile screening units by July 2021.
Parliamentarians from across the House of Commons attended the debate, including Jo Churchill MP, the Minister for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care. The High Peak MP met with the Health Minister ahead of the debate to make the case directly for the return of the mobile screening unit.
In his opening speech, Robert Largan MP said:
“We know that an early diagnosis is the best way of preventing these deaths and increasing the chances of survival. Around 186,000 women per month are screened in England, preventing 1,300 deaths in the UK every year.
“While it is true that there has been increased uptake of screenings nationally, it has not been evenly spread across the country. Of the women aged between 50 and 70 invited for a screening in my local area, 69.7 per cent attended within six months. That is lower than the 72.4 per cent average across England.
“This has been made worse by the recent commissioning decision by NHS Midlands to withdraw the breast cancer mobile screening unit from Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, and New Mills in the High Peak, citing Covid as the reason for the decision.”
In her closing statement, the Health Minister made a public commitment that the breast cancer mobile screening unit will be reinstated to Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and New Mills by July 2021 at the latest.
This follows the High Peak MP’s online petition, which has received over 2,000 signatures. The petition can still be signed at: www.robertlargan.co.uk/screening.
Robert Largan MP commented:
“This is the first public commitment by the Government to reinstate this vital service and it is a very welcome one.
“As I said in response to the Minister, I will be holding her feet to the fire to make certain that this promise is kept and that the mobile screening unit is reinstated as soon as possible. July 2021 is a long way away and I will keep pushing to get the mobile screening unit back to the High Peak much earlier than that if possible.
“Over 2,000 local people have signed my petition and I want to thank everyone for their help in getting the right result for the High Peak. But let’s keep the pressure up and work to get the mobile unit reinstated more quickly.”
