Women's Health - Government activity
Lord Hunt and Lord Allan asked the following questions in the House of Lords:
Lord Hunt
To ask His Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that routine diagnostic tests, such as mammograms and cervical smears, are made available on the NHS to women who are paralysed following spinal cord injury and are wheelchair bound.
Lord Allan
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the absence of special provisions in the NHS to provide routine diagnostic tests such as mammograms and cervical smears to women who are paralysed following a spinal cord injury and are wheelchair bound complies with the Equality Act 2010.
The questions were grouped with the following answer:
Lord Markham:
Under the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012, National Health Service screening providers have a legal duty to make sure screening services are accessible to everyone, including people with one or more protected characteristics.
NHS England is committed to improving the accessibility of the screening programmes it commissions under the Public Health Services (S7a) agreement, particularly for under-served groups in society such as those with disabilities. Contractually, providers of NHS screening services are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their services are accessible for people with disabilities.
Services make reasonable adjustments within the constraints of equipment, to ensure that disabled people are offered the opportunity to have screening, however there may be situations where this is not possible. Providers will deal with these on a case-by-case basis and offer an alternative approach as necessary.
Date and time of answer: 24 Jan 2024 at 12:20.
Written question asked by Helen Morgan MP (1 May 2024) Breast Cancer: Screening
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women were turned away from mammogram screening tests because they were unable to hold the required position for sufficient time in each of the last five years.
Written response by Andrew Stephenson MP
NHS England does not hold this information at a national level. NHS England is committed to improving the accessibility of the screening programmes it commissions and contractually, providers of National Health Service screening services are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their services are accessible for people with disabilities.
Services make reasonable adjustments within the constraints of mammography equipment, to ensure that people with disabilities are offered the opportunity to have screening; However, there may be situations where this is not possible.
Local providers will have a better understanding of any accessibility issues for individual patients and will deal with these on a case by case basis. Providers will offer an alternative approach as necessary. For example, for women who are unable to have a mammogram, may be offered a referral to a symptomatic breast clinic for a physical check.
Written question asked by Helen Morgan MP (16 April 2024) Breast Cancer: Screening
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to breast screening for people with physical disabilities that prevent them from holding the required position for sufficient time to complete the screening.
Written response by Andrew Stephenson MP
NHS England is committed to improving the accessibility of the screening programmes it commissions under the Public Health Services (S7a) agreement, particularly for under-served groups in society. Contractually, providers of National Health Service screening services are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their services are accessible for people with disabilities. For example, the NHS breast screening service offers longer appointments at accessible sites to support women with physical disabilities.
Services make reasonable adjustments within the constraints of mammography equipment, to ensure that people with disabilities are offered the opportunity to have screening. However, there may be situations where this is not possible. Providers will deal with these on a case by case basis, and offer an alternative approach as necessary. For example, for women who are unable to have a mammogram, they may be offered a referral to a symptomatic breast clinic for a physical check.