Hundreds of women ‘died early’ after cancer scan mix-up
Health Secretary admits 450,000 women missed breast cancer screening after computer error

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The Health Secretary admitted that as many as 270 women in England may have died because of a mix-up over breast-cancer screening.
The NHS screens all women between the ages of 50 and 70 for breast cancer every three years. They should receive a letter from their GP about the test, which aims to catch cancer early when it is easier to treat.
But Jeremy Hunt told the Commons that 450,000 women aged 68 to 71 did not receive invitations to a final routine breast cancer screening because of a computer glitch.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The error was caused by a computer algorithm failure that happened in 2009 but was only discovered in January this year after a review by Public Health England (PHE).
This meant women approaching their 71st birthday were not sent an invitation for a final breast scan, with subsequent computer modelling suggesting that between 135 and 270 women may have had their lives shortened as a result.
Hunt apologised “wholehearted and unreservedly” to the women and their families and announced an independent review to investigate the scandal, but the medical profession has warned the implication for GPs will potentially be “significant”.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the inquiry will examine how the failings were allowed to continue for almost a decade.
The review will examine whether the problems, which began under Labour, were detected at any level, and whether any matters were referred to ministers.
Hunt added that his department would contact the families of women who had died of breast cancer and whom it believed had missed a screening, to apologise, while family members would have their concerns investigated and compensation may be payable if the error was found to have led to an earlier death.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Book bans
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Support schemes to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder
The Explainer Purchasing a home is expensive but first-time buyers can get help
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law? review
Channel 4 documentary grapples with 'profound' questions about the 'climate apocalypse'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Fixing the NHS workforce
The Explainer There are roughly 112,000 vacant posts in NHS England with nearly one in ten posts unfilled
By The Week Staff Published
-
Surgery faces ‘MeToo moment’ as female staff assaulted while operating
Two-thirds of women surgeons claim to have been sexually harassed and a third alleged assaults
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
What does UK’s first womb transplant mean for future of fertility?
Today's Big Question Procedure could be offered more widely including to transgender people
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
The NHS plan for virtual wards to beat winter crisis
feature Patients with respiratory infections to be given wearable devices that allow doctors to monitor them at home
By The Week Staff Published
-
The NHS at 75: can it make it to 100?
feature The NHS is facing almost unprecedented challenges, but support for the institution remains strong with the public
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Rishi Sunak’s NHS plan explained in five points
feature More apprenticeships and increased technology among ‘historic’ proposals
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Good health news: seven surprising medical discoveries made in 2023
In Depth A fingerprint test for cancer, a menopause patch and the shocking impacts of body odour are just a few of the developments made this year
By The Week Staff Published
-
ADHD: the trouble with diagnosis
feature Waiting times for an NHS assessment for ADHD are years long in some parts of the UK
By The Week Staff Published