Ms Fiona Murphy:

We follow up on missed appointments by offering another appointment and sending reminder letters. We have been asking those individuals to contact us directly if they want to receive an appointment at a time and in a location that would suit them. Sometimes, they will have missed the mobile service because it has moved on to somewhere else but we will try to accommodate them outside their county or at one of our four centres. We will do almost anything to facilitate people who could not attend an appointment. We will bend over backwards, where we can, to make sure an appointment is available for them.

On the other hand, some people do not want to come for screening because they believe their risk level is such that they do not need to attend. That is okay and they can withdraw from screening. The numbers involved are very small. We find that uptake is generally low for people who have not attended for screening before. We are always campaigning to get that first screen done between the ages of 50 and 52. We want women to understand that although screening is an intimate examination and can be uncomfortable for a short period, it is nothing to be scared of. Our radiographers are really experienced in helping women to have a good experience when they come for screening. We tend to find that once they come for the first appointment, they are more willing to come back. Our uptake on repeats, that is, second and further screenings, is much higher than for first appointments. We are always encouraging people to come at least once in the expectation that they will find it is not bad as they feared. Then we will get them to come back again.