Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Breast scan error ‘cut lives of 270’

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entering Number 10, promised a “package of measures to bring transparen­cy on the issue”.

Mrs May said Home Secretary Sajid Javid would set out the actions being taken by the Government. A SHOPKEEPER who tweeted in support of Islamic State and called for Shia Muslims to be burnt to death has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Mohammed Zahir Khan, 40, of Sunderland, admitted encouragin­g acts of terror and inciting religious hatred via his social media accounts.

The father-of-one, originally from Birmingham, had served long sentences in the past for drugs supply offences and moved to the north east to make a break from gangs. GEORGE Michael’s family have asked fans to remove their tributes from outside the late singer’s former homes for the sake of his neighbours.

Fans of the Wham! star have left tributes at his homes in Highgate, London and Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshir­e, creating memorial areas filled with flowers, messages and candles among other items after his death in 2016.

Michael’s sisters Mel and Yioda, his father Jack and friend David Austin wrote on the music star’s official website that they have been “touched by your many tributes, reminding us how A BREAST cancer screening error affecting 450,000 women may have led to hundreds of lives being cut short, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has revealed.

Mr Hunt told the Commons that a “computer algorithm failure” dating back to 2009 had meant many women aged 68 to 71 in England were not invited to their final routine screening.

It is not known whether any delay in diagnosis resulted in avoidable death, but it is estimated that between 135 and 270 women had their lives shortened as a result, he said.

An independen­t review has been launched into the “serious failure” in the programme, run by Public Health England (PHE).

Mr Hunt said “administra­tive incompeten­ce” meant some families may have lost, or be about to lose, a loved one to cancer.

Women in England between the ages of 50 and 70 are currently automatica­lly invited for breast cancer screening every three years.

The issue was first brought to the attention of the Department of Health and Social Care in January, but was initially thought to very much he is missed and loved”.

They ask those who paid their respects remove their tributes by the weekend of May 26/27.

Michael was found dead aged 53 on Christmas Day 2016 at his Oxfordshir­e home. A post-mortem found he had died from heart disease. pose a “limited” risk to patients. It was escalated to ministers in March by PHE following an urgent clinical review, with the Government told the error should not be made public to ensure existing screening services were not overwhelme­d.

Mr Hunt told the Commons: “Earlier this year PHE analysis of trial data from the service found that there was a computer algorithm failure dating back to 2009.

“The latest estimates I have received from PHE is that, as a result of this, between 2009 and the start of 2018 an estimated 450,000 women aged between 68 and 71 were not invited to their final breast screening. At this stage it is not clear whether any delay in diagnosis resulted in any avoidable harm or death and that is one of the reasons I am ordering an independen­t review to establish the clinical impact.”

It is currently estimated that between 135 and 270 women may have had “their lives shortened as a result”.

He added: “I am advised that it is unlikely to be more than this range and may be considerab­ly less.

“However, tragically there are likely to be some people in this group who would have been alive today if the failure had not happened.”

Of those who missed invitation­s, 309,000 are estimated to still be alive and all those living in the UK who are registered with a GP will be contacted before the end of May.

All women who were not sent an invitation for their final screening will be given the opportunit­y to have a new appointmen­t.

Those under the age of 72 will receive an appointmen­t letter informing them of the time and date, while those over 72 will also be offered a screening and have access to a helpline to decide if it will be beneficial.

The helpline for those who think they may be affected is 0800 169 2692.

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