Welcome to our latest news summary featuring updates from the National Screening Service (NSS). To keep up to date with our news, including upcoming events and job opportunities, read our news reports, follow us on X @NSShse, LinkedIn, and on Bluesky @nsshse.
New guide to screening for carers and the people they support
We have published a guide to support carers to help the people they care for to take part in screening. It is part of our work to improve equity in screening and to support all eligible people to access screening.
The guide will help carers and the people they support to:
- understand what screening programmes are available and who is eligible to take part in them
- understand and explain our screening programmes
- make their own decisions about taking part in screening
- register for screening
- contact our screening programmes if additional supports are needed.
Read more about how we developed our new resource for carers.
Innovation, equity and shared learning: ICSN conference sets sights on Dublin 2027
We were among the 300-plus clinicians, researchers and screening programme managers at the biennial International Cancer Screening Network (ICSN) conference in Aarhus, Denmark, earlier this month. Delegates from all over the globe met to discuss new and emerging challenges, advancements and innovations in cancer screening.
At the closing session, Professor Nóirín Russell, Clinical Director of CervicalCheck, received an enthusiastic response as she announced Ireland as the host country for the next ICSN conference in 2027. She invited delegates on behalf of our National Screening Service to experience céad míle fáilte in Dublin in two years’ time.
Our Men’s Health Week campaign encouraged men and boys to choose screening
During Men’s Health Week (9 to 15 June), we encouraged all eligible men and boys to choose screening. This year’s theme was ‘Shoulder to shoulder: connecting for health’, and we encouraged men to support each other to take steps to maintain their health.
We talked to Kevin Edovia, a Dublin-based Diabetic Retinal Technician / Screener with NEC Care Ireland, the company that provides eye screening services for our Diabetic RetinaScreen programme throughout Ireland. Kevin’s blog described his typical day, and how he works to make sure people have a good experience when they come for screening.
Read more about Men’s Health Week 2025 and watch patient advocate Joe Grogan sharing his experience of bowel screening to other eligible men in the HSE Health and Wellbeing Men’s Health Week webinar.
Measuring our rate of interval breast cancers
We recently measured our rate of interval cancers in BreastCheck. An interval breast cancer is one that is diagnosed within 24 months of a woman’s breast screening when no evidence of cancer was found. It is important that we measure the interval breast cancer rate because it shows how well we are performing against our quality standards.
This helps us to better inform women about the benefits and limitations of breast screening, so they can make an informed choice about taking part in screening.
We measure the interval breast cancer rate by calculating the number of interval cancers per 10,000 women who had a normal screening result; and by comparing our interval breast cancer rate as a percentage of the expected rate if there was no screening programme.
Using both methods, we found the BreastCheck interval cancer rates are within our programme’s standards for quality assurance in mammography screening. They include:
- 24 months after screening, the target is fewer than 12.5 breast cancers for every 10,000 women screened. The BreastCheck rate was between 11 and 12.
- 24 months after screening, the target is below 50% of the expected rate if there was no screening programme. The BreastCheck rate was between 44% and 47%.
Read more about how we calculated our interval cancer rate in BreastCheck.
National Screening Service delegates join EUCanScreen conference in Turin
Delegates from the National Screening Service attended a series of meetings as part of the EUCanScreen project to review ongoing initiatives, provide updates, and foster closer collaboration among EU partners. The event took place in Turin, Italy, from 12 to 15 May.
The Irish delegation included staff from the National Screening Service, the Department of Health and the Royal College of Surgeons; and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is contracted to work with the Irish team.
Funded by the European Commission, EUCanScreen seeks to enhance existing breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer programmes, while facilitating the implementation of new programmes for lung, prostate, and stomach cancer.
Read more about our work on the EUCanScreen project.
More news in brief
Here is some more news we reported recently:
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