Greater collaboration and partnership across London is urgently needed to increase uptake and tackle health inequalities in breast cancer screening services, according to a new briefing, No one left behind: opportunities to improve breast screening in London, from the UK’s leading breast cancer charity, Breast Cancer Now.
Breast Cancer Now will join the London Assembly Health Committee meeting on the 22nd January, 2026, where it will share its insight into the unique barriers facing breast cancer screening services in London.
The Committee meeting is a timely catalyst for change to improve breast cancer screening uptake in London, with the introduction of the neighbourhood health services and integrated care boards commissioning breast screening providing further opportunities to improve screening in the future.1
London’s breast cancer screening attendance is consistently below the rest of England. Neither the NHS’ 70% minimum standard for breast screening uptake nor the 80% uptake ‘achievable’ target have been met in London for 25 years.
For first invites only, breast screening uptake in London sits at just 55.6%, compared to the national average of 62.5%. And in some areas in London, fewer than half attend their screening appointment when first invited.2
Breast screening is a vital tool in detecting breast cancer at an early stage and the sooner breast cancer is diagnosed, the more likely treatment is to be successful. But ensuring women in London attend is a significant challenge.
Today’s briefing from Breast Cancer Now sets out why so many women in London do not take up their breast screening invite. Women are deterred by problems like struggling to find a convenient appointment or accessing breast cancer screening facilities. Some women also experience greater health inequalities that make them less likely to attend their breast screening appointments, such as women from ethnic minorities and women facing economic disadvantage.
Local breast cancer screening services in London face additional structural challenges that make it more difficult to collaborate, to deliver robust and coordinated strategies that meet the specific needs of their local populations. A lack of shared accurate, quality data, makes it more difficult to pinpoint communities with the poorest attendance to target outreach effectively, or to contact women who haven’t attended their appointment.
Breast Cancer Now is urging the Mayor of London and NHS services – including pilots of neighbourhood health services – to work with local authorities, and communities to promote and improve access to breast cancer screening in London, and ensure it is at the heart of London’s ambitions for prevention and addressing health inequalities.
The UK Government’s upcoming NHS Cancer Plan should also provide a vision for the future of screening which continues to enable and support regional health systems, such as London, to drive breast screening uptake in their communities.
Helen Dickens, chief support officer at Breast Cancer Now, said:
“Breast cancer can affect anyone. But it doesn’t affect everyone equally. It’s unacceptable that the rates of breast cancer screening uptake in London remain too low, shaped in part by enduring health inequalities that affect women from ethnic minorities and women facing economic disadvantage. We urgently need to level up screening attendance across London, and nationwide, in order to tackle disparities in early diagnosis rates and give women the best chance of survival.
“When breast cancer is picked up early, at stage 1, 98% of people survive for five years or more in England. But when it’s picked up at stage 4, only 27% survive for five years or more.
“It’s essential that NHS services, the Mayor of London, local authorities, and communities in London work together to address unequal access to breast screening and improve uptake through coordinated action that promotes breast screening widely across the health service and throughout its communities. This work must tackle fears or misconceptions around screening and breast cancer, and encourage more women to attend.”
Hedwig Hegtermans (aged 63 and from Orpington, London) was diagnosed with breast cancer following routine breast cancer screening, she is encouraging all women to take up their appointments:
“I was invited for my first routine screening shortly after my 50th birthday. I always thought I was breast aware, and felt confident all was fine, but I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks later. I had my treatment which was tough, but without that screening I do not know what my outcome would have been. I am so grateful for that mammogram, and I encourage all women to get screened, even if they think there’s nothing wrong.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. The Neighbourhood Health Service is a government ambition developed from the 10 Year Plan for Health. This aims to see partnerships between primary care, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and local authorities to develop local collaboration on prevention and early intervention for major conditions. ICBs are expected to start commissioning breast cancer screening services from April 2027.
2. Source, NHS England (2025). NHS Breast Screening Programme, England, 2023-24.
About Breast Cancer Now:
If you’re experiencing breast cancer we’re here, whenever you need us. Be it through our support services, trusted breast cancer information or our specialist nurses who you can reach via our free Helpline and 24/7 Online Forum. Backed by dedicated campaigners, we’re fighting for the best possible treatment, services, and care, for anyone affected by breast cancer. And support from our amazing fundraisers helps ensure our life-saving research and life-changing support can happen.
If you’re worried about breast cancer, or have a question about breast health, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Speak to our expert nurses now by calling our free helpline on 0808 800 6000 or visit forum.breastcancernow.org