В Ноттингеме уровень участия женщин в маммографии на 11% ниже среднего по графству

Important breast screening uptake in Nottingham city lagging far behind rest of the county, figures show Screening uptake in the city was 11 per cent lower than uptake in the county Trainee Reporter “Absolutely essential” is how one breast cancer survivor describes attending screening appointments - but data has revealed that women in Nottingham city centre are not going to theirs. ‌ As of March 2025 just 62.1 per cent of eligible women living in the Nottingham City Council area had attended a screening test in the last three years. ‌ This is a startling 11 per cent less than Nottinghamshire county - where 73.6 per cent of women have attended a screening test in the last three years, according to data from NHS England. ‌ And Nottingham city is lagging behind the rest of the East Midlands too, uptake of breast screening in the area is the second lowest in the region. Leicester is the lowest at just 53.2 per cent. ‌ For one breast cancer survivor this has to change. Ana Faulkner, from Nottinghamshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024 and is now cancer-free - but is still having ongoing treatment as a result of the disease. Ms Faulkner said: “It’s not a particularly nice thing to do, but it’s absolutely essential. ‌ “Going for a mammogram takes minutes, it is less than five minutes of being uncomfortable and feeling a bit embarrassed the first time. “And that’s an awful lot easier than having to spend hours and consultations and everything else that goes with having found the cancer.” Catching breast cancer early is a key part of increasing the chances of survival. ‌ When detected early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer can exceed 95 per cent- so early detection tools, like mammograms, are vital. Mammograms are a type of X-ray that can detect abnormalities in breast tissue before a lump can even be felt. ‌ Screening for the disease is vital as breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with 56,000 women diagnosed every year. Most instances of the disease occur in women over 50, so the screening programme is offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71. While Ms Faulkner’s cancer was not detected through the screening programme she still believes screening is vital. ‌ Ms Faulkner added: “There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. “Just do it once, and after that, you know how easy it is and then just keep going back when they ask you.” Uptake of breast screening in the Nottingham city local authority is also significantly behind the rest of England, where uptake sits at 71.8 per cent - 9 per cent higher than in Nottingham. ‌ The reasons behind this are not immediately obvious, but Nottingham Women’s Centre reports that women from more deprived areas are less likely to attend screening programmes. This disparity could be behind the disparity in uptake between Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Average house prices in the two areas deviated by £71,724 - with the county having the higher average. ‌ Louisa Matthews, chief executive of Nottingham Women’s Centre, said: “Our work with Public Health and our 'it’s a smear campaign' make it clear that sadly women from more deprived areas are less likely to attend cervical and other health screening programmes. “And it is saddening to see this appear specifically in the breast screening figures. The 2025 Women’s Health Needs assessment also shows this discrepancy between city and county. Women need to feel confident in services and the ways they can access them – the process needs to work for their communities. The NHS does a huge amount to improve services but there are some areas that require more nuance to increase that safety and confidence factor for women.” ‌ The discrepancy between city and county was also felt in 2024, when Nottingham saw a 62.3 per cent uptake and Nottinghamshire saw a much higher 75 per cent uptake. The city council, which has a legal responsibility to carry out public health services but is not directly responsible for screen programmes, have undertaken work to better understand why people do not participate in screening programmes. ‌ This is off the back of their women’s health needs assessment which identified that barriers to attending breast cancer screening included knowledge, awareness, language barriers and cultural and religious barriers. Other barriers identified by the council included age, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Councillor Helen Kalsi, Executive Member for Adults, Social Care and Public Health, said: “Following this assessment, Nottingham City Council has undertaken further engagement work with women directly in the community to better understand the reasons why people do not participate in screening programmes and to identify what can be done to address this. Article continues below "Increasing screening uptake is a priority for the Council’s behaviour change programme because we know that timely screening saves lives.” Healthcare professionals stress that while screening programmes are only offered to women over 50 it is important for everyone - men and women - to check themselves regularly. Breast Cancer UK has a handy step by step guide, which you can find here.