Agenda item - Cancer Screening in Brighton & Hove

Report of the Director of Public Health (copy attached).

Introduction

38.1    The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health which presented an overview of screening performance in Brighton and Hove for the three NHS cancer screening programmes: bowel, breast and cervical cancer, considering uptake/coverage rates by CCG locality and by GP practice. The report made provisional recommendations for increasing cancer screening rates in the city.  The paper was intended to inform members about current performance and to promote discussion as to the way forward.  The report was presented by the Public Health Principal, and by the Sussex & Surrey Screening and Immunisation Lead.  

Questions and Discussion

38.2    The Chair thanked officers for the cancer screening figures and asked if anything could be done to improve the screening uptake.  He noted that Brighton and Hove was below the national average for screening take-up. The Public Health Principal explained that the role of public health in local authorities was to raise public awareness.  From the evidence received, there were no major omissions in the work carried out.  Officers needed to select priorities from a public awareness point of view.  There was a need to make GP’s aware of the screening rates for the three cancer screening programmes and strategies as to how they might assist in increasing uptake could be reviewed.  For example, the breast screening unit are asking GPs for the phone numbers of those who do not attend for their mammogram so that they can contact them to find out why.  It was known that if people attended a first screening they were more likely to attend again.    

38.3    The Sussex & Surrey Screening and Immunisation Lead officer stated that it would be helpful if the Board could support the joint work carried out by the statutory services.   The City had a different social economy to the rest of the South East and there was a need to work on areas with a low screening take-up.  

38.4    Councillor Morgan thanked officers for the report and noted that Whitehawk was highlighted as one locality where screening rates were low.  He questioned whether the lack of a mobile screening van had contributed to the low turn-out.  Councillor Morgan suggested that providing taxi vouchers to people attending appointments and sending out invitations with the GP’s letter head might encourage a higher take-up.  Councillor Morgan thought there would be value in having a Health Scrutiny Panel on this issue.   

38.5    Councillor Theobald noted that the take up rates were not particularly good throughout the city.  He asked if GP’s would be notified if someone did not take up the bowel cancer test. 

38.6    Christa Beesley replied that family doctors were notified and GP’s headed note paper was being used to contact patients and give them a second chance to be screened in some pilot practices.  Recommendations for increasing cancer screening rates in the city were included at Section 6 of the Cancer Screening document.    

38.7    Dr Beesley stressed that there needed to be a response from the wider community and questioned whether employers could have a role by allowing screening in the workplace.     

38.8    The Chair suggested that the issues raised in the report should be considered by a Task and Finish Group of the Health & Wellbeing Board.  The Group should have a fixed end date.  Fiona Harris and Fran McCabe volunteered to be members of the Group.      

38.9    The Sussex & Surrey Screening and Immunisation Lead mentioned that there were Local Programme Boards and suggested that they could be linked to the HWB.  The Public Health Principal mentioned that there was a Local Cancer Action Group.  She suggested that that there could be a more formal link between that and the Programme Boards.  

38.10  Geraldine Hoban stressed that that screening was only one part of improving cancer outcomes.  The Cancer Action Group had a specified focus.  There was a need to target effort where the biggest impact could be seen. 

38.11  Resolved –

(1)                That the overview of screening performance in Brighton & Hove for the three NHS cancer screening programmes: bowel, breast and cervical cancer, considering uptake/coverage rates by CCG locality and by GP practice be noted.

(2)                That the provisional recommendations for increasing cancer screening rates in the city be noted.

(3)                That the issues raised in the report should be considered by a Task and Finish Group of the Health & Wellbeing Board.  The Group should have a fixed end date.