Paid Oedi Cymru – No Time to Waste Wales

Thanks to everyone that supported the campaign.

We focused on improving breast screening uptake and addressing inequalities in access to breast screening. We also highlighted why women may not be able to attend appointments and how the Welsh government should support Breast Test Wales and Public Health Wales with these key areas: 

• Deliver a breast screening awareness campaign, focusing on low-uptake areas and communities 
• Provide more convenient, flexible routes into breast screening services, including multiple options to arrange appointments 
• Improve data reporting and accountability by regularly publishing uptake data, including for minority ethnic and underserved groups  

Breast screening saves lives from breast cancer. Yet targets for women screened in Wales were being missed.

In 2022-23, only 69.5% of women invited for screening attended their appointment - below the 70% minimum standard and the 80% target. If the 80% target was met, 15,871 more women would’ve been screened and an estimated 154 more breast cancers detected.

Though efforts had been made to improve uptake by Breast Test Wales, it was clear that much more strategic and ambitious change was needed by Welsh government to truly deliver convenient, flexible and equitable access to breast screening.

The aim of the petition was to call on the government to take action and to secure a debate in the Senedd to highlight the issues around breast screening in Wales.

• Our supporters shared the campaign wide with their networks, helping us to secure 4,254 signatures. This included our amazing Changemakers campaigning community and Members of the Senedd
• We also worked with some incredible supporters who shared their experiences of breast screening to put a real face and story to the campaign. The aim was to encourage others to sign the petition as well as to attend their screening when invited
• We secured coverage on the BBC and ITV for the petition
• In October, our Wear It Pink event in the Senedd focused on the petition and screening, providing an opportunity to gain support. Breast Cancer Now also had key meetings with MSs from the health and petitions committee, along with party health spokespeople
• The petition was even promoted at the Wales vs North Macedonia football match in November, with posters put up around the stadium about the campaign

On 12 January, our petition was considered by the Senedd Petitions committee. We attended with Sheila, our incredible supporter, from Anglesey in North Wales, who was diagnosed with breast cancer through screening.

"My visit to Cardiff to present our petition to the Senedd was a deeply moving experience. Meeting the Senedd Members and hearing our petition being discussed in the chamber was both surreal and powerful, a reminder of why this campaign matters so much. The warmth and commitment of the Breast Cancer Now team in Cardiff added even more purpose to the day, leaving me hopeful and proud of the steps we’re taking to encourage more women to attend breast cancer screening."

Unfortunately, with upcoming elections and Senedd business officially ending on 27 March, the committee said there wasn’t time to fit in a debate this parliament.

However, the committee was incredibly supportive of our calls and has written to the government to ask for answers to all the questions the petition raised. They want to see urgent action taken to improve screening uptake. All members were in firm agreement that this is an emergency that needs serious focus from the Welsh government.

We’ll be calling for a breast cancer screening awareness campaign and for Wales’ breast screening service to push further to make access to breast screening more flexible, equal and easier for everyone. We’ll also call for this to be included within Public Health Wales’ new Screening Equity Strategy, as the current strategy ends this year.

Alongside this, we want improved data reporting, with Breast Test Wales and Public Health Wales regularly publishing uptake data (we’re still waiting for Breast Test Wales to publish its annual statistical report for 2023-24). Up to date data would improve accountability and enable evidence-based decision making and long-term planning for breast screening in Wales.

We’d like to thank everyone who supported the campaign. Whether you signed and shared the petition, or wrote to your MS, each one of you helped make a difference. With your help, we've won strong support from members of the Senedd and we hope to build on that momentum in the coming months.