Alert over low rates of breast screening in deprived areas
Only six- in- ten women from the most deprived areas have been attending breast screening appointments.
Attendance at the Scottish Breast Screening Programme reveals a lower level of appointment uptake among women from poorer areas, according to statistics released by the Scottish Government.
The figures show that only 56.3 per cent of women from the most deprived areas in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde attended appointments in comparison to 77.3 per cent of women in the least deprived areas.
The health board has the lowest uptake figures of all Scottish health boards for women coming from the three greatest deprivation categories.
It is also below the Scottish average of 72.3 per cent for uptake across all five deprivation categories, with 66.7 per cent of women attending appointments.
Parts of Renfrewshire are currently in the top ten most deprived in the health board area, with Ferguslie Park ranking third on the list according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020
The new figures come weeks after the Scottish Government paused the screening programme due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A spokeswoman from NHSGGC says efforts will be made by healthcare professionals to raise awareness in areas with low uptake appointments once screening resumes.
The spokeswoman said: “A national group is looking at the timing when breast screening programme could restart and we would urge all women who are then invited to take up the opportunity to have a screening test.
“Breast screening is an important tool in the fight to cut death rates from breast cancer and it is delivered close to where women live through mobile screening units sent from the West of Scotland Breast Screening Centre.
“Communities which have a relatively low uptake of breast screening are targeted by health promotion specialist workers to try to raise awareness when screening units are in the area and encourage women to consider the risks and benefits of breast screening.
“These specialist workers also link in with GP practices to try to improve attendance rates.”