Ms Susan Clyne:

The screening services are important and have been a major health initiative over recent years. The IMO would fully support that. There is a slight difference in the screening services between the women and patients who are called for screening and the encouragement of patients who are developing symptoms outside of screening. Screening is not a diagnostic tool in and of itself.

The message we give to the public should be that anyone who discovers any lumps or bumps about which they are concerned should contact their GP. We need very quick referral pathways from general practice into cancer services in hospitals. The screening programmes are one element of the issue and they are valuable. There is also the issue about the public being almost afraid to attend or concerned that the service they need will be unavailable. It is important that members of the public attend or call their GP when they notice a change in their health. We cannot make everything about Covid-19.