An update of Scottish Breast Screening Programme (SBSP) statistics (information up to financial year 2004/05) and Scottish Cervical Screening statistics (information up to financial year 2005/06), are published today by Information Services, NHS National Services Scotland and are available at the following web addresses:

http://www.isdscotland.org/breast_screening
http://www.isdscotland.org/cervical_screening

Key Points

Breast screening

• 10 of 11 NHSBSP standards (NHS Breast Screening Programme performance standards) are being achieved. However, the recall for assessment rate for women screened in response to their first invitation, at 10.7%, narrowly fails to meet the standard (a rate of <10%).
• All NHS Boards met the minimum attendance standard of >70% of women invited during the latest three year period (2002/03 to 2004/05).

Cervical screening

• All women between the ages of 20 and 60 inclusive are eligible for a cervical smear test at least once every 5 years.  In practice, NHS Boards invite women for screening every 3 years. Of eligible women, 78.0% had been screened for cervical cancer in the previous 3.5 years and 83.8% in the previous 5.5 years. These rates, which exclude Lothian, have declined slightly over the last 5 years from 81.7% and 86.5% respectively in 2001/02.
• The total number of smears processed for the year 2005/2006 ending 31 March 2006 was 410,241 compared with 406,305 in 2004/2005.

What is being added on 27 July?

Breast Screening

• New data for the latest available financial year, 2004/2005, have been added to the breast screening standards (including attendance figures), biopsy results and screening outcome tables. 

Cervical Screening

• New data for the latest available financial year, 2005/2006, have been added to the uptake of cervical screening.
• New data for the latest available quarter, January – March 2006, have been added to the cervical cytology workload tables.

Background information

1. Breast screening :

• The breast screening figures were obtained from the Scottish Breast Screening Programme (SBSP) information system and include data for all static screening centres and mobile screening units.
• A revised KC62 return was introduced in 2004/05. The NHSBSP performance standards (Table 1) are slightly different to those published in previous years, they are as specified in “Consolidated Guidance on Standards for the NHS Breast Screening Programme, NHSBSP Publication no. 60".

 2.  Cervical screening:

• Information on the uptake of cervical screening is collected from NHS boards annually by ISD Scotland.  Figures for Lothian NHS Board are unavailable/calculated on different basis. 
• With the introduction of the new GMS contract, GPs receive payment based on a sliding scale 25-80%. This new scale was first introduced as at 1st January 2005.
• Information on cervical cytology workload is collected quarterly by ISD Scotland.  All information shown is based on statistical returns from the individual laboratories.

3. This is an ISD Scotland National Statistics release. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards and adhere to codes of practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs and they are produced free from any political interference.

4. ISD Scotland is a division of NHS National Services Scotland.  ISD Scotland collects, collates and maintains a wide range of health service data sets, which form the national corporate database for NHSScotland. By providing information, statistical services and effective use of information management and technology, ISD Scotland contributes to health improvement by informing decision- making, research and debate within NHSScotland, government departments and other organisations.

For more information about ISD Scotland see the website : http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/

Further information is available from:

Fiona Campbell     
Principal Statistician
Epidemiology and Statistics Group
Telephone: 0131 275 6125
Email: Fiona.Campbell@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk