Concerns rise over big gap in cancer test rates

More mums, dads, sons and daughters will die if the deprivation gap in bowel screening uptake is not fixed, the Scottish Government has been warned.

New figures show the gap between numbers of people from the richest areas of Tayside who take a screening test and the poorest areas is the highest in Scotland.

The figures show 75.2% of those from the least deprived areas took part in the bowel screening programme from April 2019 to May 2021.

It has saved lives by detecting cancer early, but just 52.9% of people from the most deprived areas take the tests. This makes the gap between richest and poorest 22.3%, higher than the Scottish average of 20.2%.

North East MSP Maurice

Golden said 3,694 patients in the poorest communities miss out due to this deprivation gap.

He said: “We need the Scottish Government to find out why the gulf is bigger in Tayside and what it intends to do about it.

“The longer this disparity endures, the more chance there will be that beloved mothers, fathers, sons and daughters lose their life to a very dangerous disease.”

Bowel screening is offered every two years to people in Scotland aged between 50 and 74.

If bowel cancer is found early, people are 14 times more likely to survive.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “The statistics are clear – the poorest Scots are far less likely to be screened than the wealthiest.

“No one’s health should be determined by their socio-economic status.

“If action is not taken now, this inequality will only grow and lives will be lost.

“Humza Yousaf must face up to this dangerous inequality and act now.”

NHS Tayside believes the reason the inequality gap is so high is because uptake of tests is so good among those who are wealthier.

It says uptake in the least deprived areas of Tayside is higher than the 73.3% Scottish average and the fourth highest on mainland Scotland.

In the poorest areas of Tayside it is around the Scottish average and is above uptake in the poorest areas in Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Dr Emma Fletcher, director of public health at NHS Tayside, said: “Reducing inequalities in screening through promotion in areas of greatest deprivation is a key focus of public health work as we transition out of the pandemic.

“We would strongly encourage everyone who receives a bowel screening test to complete it and return it as it only takes a couple of minutes but could save your life.

“The test aims to pick up early signs of bowel cancer before people have any symptoms.

“Nine out of 10 people will survive if bowel cancer is found and treated early, so please take the test.”

The Scottish Government says early cancer diagnosis is one of its priorities and it has committed an extra £20 million to the detecting cancer early programme in this parliamentary term.

A spokeswoman added: “We recognise there continues to be an inequality gap for bowel screening uptake between the most and least deprived areas.

“This is why we have allocated £2m over 2021-22 and 2022-23 to tackle inequalities and encourage those who are eligible to take up their invite to cancer screening programmes, including the bowel screening programme.

“This is in addition to the £5m we invested over the previous five years.”

The spokeswoman said the government has funded a new national lead for screening inequalities who is working to reduce this inequality gap, and has announced £70m of support for diagnosing cancer faster.