Health Secretary Has Announced Up To 270 Women May Have Died As A Result

Specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have expressed their concern and called on the Government to act quickly after it was announced that almost half a million women in England had failed to be sent routine appointments for breast screening.

News broke of the issue on Wednesday morning that 450,000 women, aged between 68 and 71 had failed to get invitations since 2009. The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, has since apologised to the women and their families. He has also announced an independent review into the issue.

The BBC reports that of the 450,000 women affected, 309,000 are still alive and in their 70s. In a statement to Parliament, the Health Secretary said that there may be between 135 and 270 women whose lives had been shorted as a result.

Sallie Booth, a Partner and group litigation specialist at law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Today’s news is absolutely unacceptable. This isn’t a one off incident, it is a systemic failure; almost half a million women are affected by this news and require urgent follow up and reassurance. The NHS ought to have suitable backup checks in place to identify this type of problem quickly and deal with it efficiently.

“It leaves us asking many questions, but the main one is why was this not picked up sooner? The invites stopped being sent almost ten years ago in 2009.

“Cancer needs to be treated as soon as possible, and the fact that some women will have had serious delays to their diagnosis is very troubling.

“The sombre fact is that the implications of this are potentially fatal for some women.” Sallie Booth - Partner

A computer algorithm failure has been labelled as the source of the issue, leading to those who just turned 70 not receiving an invitation for a final scan. Mr Hunt MP said that variation in the way that local services sent out these invitations could also have been a factor.

All women that have been affected will be contacted by letter by the end of May. Those who are under 75 will be offered a routine mammogram and the Health Secretary has said that any woman who wants a mammogram will get one within six months.

Sallie added: 

Expert Opinion

“Rectifying this will put even more stress on the Health Service and its limited resources, but the fact is that where treatment is indicated and has already been delayed, it should be provided as a matter of priority." Sallie Booth - Partner

A national helpline has been set up and people are advised to contact it for more information. The number is: 0800 169 2692.

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