HSE Talking Health & Wellbeing podcast, Episode 16 – Choose Screening
For the first time, the National Screening Service (NSS) has brought all four screening programmes together under our new strategy, Choose Screening – Together we can make a difference.
In this episode of the HSE Talking Health & Wellbeing podcast, host Fergal Fox chats with our Chief Executive Fiona Murphy and Grace Rattigan, one of our Patient and Public Partnership (PPP) representatives about the significance of a person-centred approach in developing our strategy, and how we aim to ensure that screening is an informed choice for people.
Engagement
The conversation first focuses on our commitment to partnership and engagement with people in developing and improving our services. Fiona emphasises how we wanted to involve patients and stakeholders in the development of our strategy, which slowed down the process but “made it much stronger”.
“Part of that,” Fiona explains, “is that we serve about half of the population [of Ireland] who are eligible for screening in some shape or form, and so we wanted to make sure that the people who experience screening are part of determining where we should go and what we should do.”
Fiona describes how the involvement of staff was also a vital component to ensure staff “feel part of something bigger, and that bigger thing is about screening being able to save lives”.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re working in a mobile unit in breast screening, or you’re in an office, or you’re in a laboratory… we wanted people to see where they fitted into the strategy; that it was real for them; that they could own a bit of it and could see what would be different in five years’ time; that it connected them to why they come into work every day.”
Patient and Public Partnership
Grace shares her experience of becoming an ambassador for screening and speaks about how worthwhile and empowering it has been as a member of the NSS Patient and Public Partnership (PPP) to help shape the development of the service.
After losing her mother to cervical cancer in 2012, Grace took to social media to promote cervical screening. In 2018 when the CervicalCheck crisis happened, Grace felt that the service was “under attack”.
“I still wanted to promote it. I still knew how important it was. I was lost… and the opportunity came then to join as a patient rep and help implement the recommendations from the Scally report.”
Encouraging other people to get involved in the PPP, Grace explains it’s not just about ticking a box. “I’m not just being asked questions. I’m asked my opinion. I’ve seen my opinion being used.”
Calling for more people to join the PPP network, particularly from diverse backgrounds and communities, Grace says “it’s very worthwhile”.
Prevention
Both Fiona and Grace chat with Fergal about the importance of the four national screening programmes to help prevent or recognise disease early, when it can be easier to treat.
Fiona tells us how bowel screening and cervical screening can prevent cancer as well as recognise signs of disease early, when it can be easier to treat. Breast screening can find cancer early when it is also easier to treat, and diabetic retina screening can find signs of early disease to help prevent or reduce sight loss for people with diabetes.
Grace speaks about the importance of PPP reps as advocates for breaking down the barriers to screening, demystifying the screening process, tackling misinformation and educating their peers to make an informed choice.
Fiona says: “We often find it’s actually the people who have been through the process, and having found something either pre-cancer or cancer stage, are our best champions because they’re actually able to say ‘there wasn’t much to be scared of’ or ‘you’re better off catching it early’.“
Equity in screening
Fergal asks about our approach to reducing inequities in screening which is named in our strategy, and Fiona describes how we put an equity lens on every project that we develop. “We ask ourselves are we making this easier for people to access, or harder? Can people access a service where they live – a GP practice, a mobile screening unit? Do people have English as a first language? Are they part of communities who do not have a static address?
“It's often the people who don’t come for screening are the ones that could benefit the most from it”, Fiona explains, emphasising our commitment to reducing inequities in screening so people can actively make the choice, rather than just not being able to access the services.
Choose Screening
Fergal points out that the name of the strategy – Choose Screening – jumped out at him. “It’s a loud message, isn’t it?” he says.
Fiona explains it has a number of layers to it and how “it works on so many levels” – we want people to have that informed choice to choose screening; we want people to choose to work in screening because “it’s a great place to be, and we value people and support them”; we want people to choose to work in partnership with us “like Grace and the other patient reps, because again we will value your input, we will listen to what you have to say and involve you”; and we want the government to choose to invest in screening “because it’s a great preventative strategy” and a cost-effective approach in terms of the prevention of disease.
“Screening is a choice for people, so we need to make sure they have as much good information at their fingertips to make that choice.”
Listen to the full episode now: Episode 16 – Choose Screening
We’re looking for new members to join our Patient and Public Partnership across all of our screening programmes – BreastCheck, Diabetic RetinaScreen, BowelScreen and CervicalCheck. If you are interested email ppplead@screeningservice.ie
The HSE Talking Health & Wellbeing podcast is available on Apple, Google podcasts, Spotify and it’s YouTube channel. For further information about the podcast series email Healthandwellbeing.communications@hse.ie