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Published: 30 November 2023

Latest news update from the National Screening Service – 30 November 2023

Welcome to our latest news summary featuring updates from across the National Screening Service. To keep up to date with all of our news, read our blogs and follow us on X @NSShse.

Ireland on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced that Ireland is on track to eliminate cervical cancer within 17 years, at an event to mark Cervical Cancer Elimination Day of Action on 17 November. “Today is an extraordinary day,” Minister Donnelly said, as he announced 2040 as the target date for Ireland to achieve cervical cancer elimination. “No baby girl born today in Ireland will have to worry about cervical cancer. Thank you to all involved in the HSE’s delivery of screening, vaccination and treatment services, to our passionate patient advocates and to all the partnership stakeholders.”

Eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 will be achieved by the HSE’s vaccination, screening and treatment services working together, in partnership with patients, advocacy groups and other organisations. The Cervical Cancer Elimination Partnership will develop a national action plan to meet Ireland’s target date, beginning with a public consultation in 2024.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines elimination as fewer than four cases of cervical cancer per 100,000 women, which would make cervical cancer rare. Ireland’s incidence of cervical cancer is now 10.4 per 100,000. The WHO strategy sets out clear targets for all countries to achieve by 2030, to put them on course to elimination: HPV vaccination coverage (90%), cervical screening coverage (70%), and access to treatment (90%).

The projected target date of 2040 is the result of a detailed modelling project with Australia’s Daffodil Centre, a leading research centre on cancer control and policy. The modelling project used HPV vaccination rates, screening coverage, and population data from Ireland.

If you would like to be part of the public consultation in 2024, please contact us at publichealth.support@screeningservice.ie

National Screening Service publishes new framework to improve equity in screening

We’ve published our new strategic framework to improve equity in screening, Improving Equity in Screening – A Strategic Framework 2023-2027. The framework is available in accessible formats: a screen reader accessible version, an easy read summary, a plain English summary, and an Irish Sign Language video summary.

Understanding and improving equity is a key priority for us in our five-year strategy, Choose Screening – Together we can make a difference. We know from research that barriers exist that can impact participation in screening programmes within specific population groups. We want everyone to understand what screening is, and to be able to take part in screening if they want to.

Our Director of Public Health Dr Caroline Mason Mohan said: “We know that health is influenced by a range of factors including education, employment, income level, gender and ethnicity. People can experience barriers or inequities at any point on the screening journey. We want to continue to better understand and address these barriers. We want to ensure that people can make an informed choice about whether to have screening. If they choose screening, we want them to be able to carry out that choice.”

The framework was developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including screening participants, representatives from the community, voluntary and statutory sectors, and our staff. It sets out how we can better understand and improve equity across our four screening programmes: BowelScreen, BreastCheck, CervicalCheck and Diabetic RetinaScreen.

To find out more or to get involved contact us by email equity@screeningservice.ie

Your Service Your Say – new phone numbers

HSE Your Service Your Say is our process to listen and respond to feedback about our services. Feedback might be a comment, compliment or complaint.

Your feedback helps us to improve our services and provide safe and high-quality care and treatment.

The phone numbers for this service will change on 1 December 2023:

  • Freephone 1800 424 555
  • +353 1 642 4555 from a mobile or outside Ireland

If you have resources with information on Your Service Your Say, we would be grateful if they could be updated to reflect this change. Your Service Your Say can also be accessed in person, using an online form and by email at yoursay@hse.ie

New picture-based Diabetic RetinaScreen resources developed

We’ve produced a new set of Diabetic RetinaScreen resources for people who prefer to use picture-based information.

About one in six adults find everyday text such as medical instructions and other information difficult to read and understand. We develop information resources in alternative formats that help people to use our screening programmes.

The resources include easy-read and plain English leaflets, photos stories and videos. They can be viewed, downloaded and shared. We would like to thank the volunteers that took part in the photo stories, and the experts by experience that helped to develop and review these resources.

More news in brief

Some of our recently published blogs include:

We value your feedback - please contact us at communications@screeningservice.ie