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NHS chiefs have hailed The Mirror’s spotlighting of Victoria Derbyshire’s breast cancer campaign, saying the contribution to the national conversation will ensure women get checked
The Mirror has been praised after over 30,000 women came forward for NHS advice in a week since its front page story on its first ever breast cancer screening awareness campaign.
The Mirror reported on the drive spearheaded by BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire calling on women to take up their invite for a routine mammogram. There were 32,432 visits to NHS breast screening advice pages in the week up to Monday – an increase of 145 percent on the previous week.
There was a 97 percent increase in clicks to the breast-screening-services finder, where women, aged between 50 and 71, can see where they can get screened in their local area. Google Trends data also shows last week saw the highest volume of Google searches for ‘Breast screening’ in England in the last five years.
Michelle Kane, Director of Screening and Vaccination at NHS England, said: “We’re delighted to see a measurable increase in people getting NHS advice on screening. In our most recent published figures, we’ve seen record numbers of women taking up these potentially life-saving invites, so by spotlighting the Victoria Derbyshire-backed campaign to readers, the Mirror has contributed to a national conversation which will help the NHS catch more breast cancers than ever before at the earliest stage
“In only the second week since launch, it’s hugely encouraging to see the impact that our breast cancer screening campaign is already having in encouraging people to seek advice and come forward for screening.” Newsnight anchor and breast cancer survivor Victoria Derbyshire was among a host of celebrities who penned an ‘unofficial invite’ to women as part of the campaign.
Others included broadcaster and presenter Julia Bradbury and Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas. Ms Derbyshire told of her fears that she wouldn’t live to see her children grow up after her diagnosis a decade ago. It comes as NHS England releases new data showing 46.3% of women invited for the first time don’t attend.
It estimates that if screening attendance could be improved to 80 percent of those eligible next year then 7,500 additional breast cancers detected at an earlier stage in 2025/26, compared to two years earlier. Such a rise would mean 9,25,000 more women being screened in than in 2022/23.
The NHS campaign is being supported by the charity Breast Cancer Now and launched with a new advert across TV, radio and online. Celebrities are joined by cancer survivors, NHS staff and TV doctors in sharing letters in a number of moving films. In hers, Victoria Derbyshire wrote: “When I was diagnosed I thought I wouldn’t get to see my two little boys grow up, who were then aged eight and 11.
“I thought I wouldn’t get to grow old with my partner Mark. I’m still here thanks to the skill of the NHS and 2025 will be 10 years since I was diagnosed. Breast screening might just help save your life. Please go.” She survived the cancer and in 2018 her sons Ollie, 20, and Joe, 17, walked her down the aisle when she wed journalist Mark Sandell after almost two decades together.
Michelle Kane added: “We know that if 80 percent of women who are eligible attended next year, nearly a million more women could be screened and over 7,500 additional breast cancers detected at an earlier stage, when it is more treatable. That’s why, we’re incredibly grateful to Vanessa, Victoria, Julia and everyone else involved for so openly sharing their experiences with the public to support more women to attend these potentially life-saving appointments.”
Latest NHS data for 2023/24 shows only around two thirds of women are turning up for their mammograms. Women registered with a GP are automatically invited for NHS breast screening for the first time between the ages of 50 and 53, then every three years until their 71st birthday. Women aged 71 and over can self-refer for screening.
Victoria Derbyshire, 56, had said in her message: “I’ve had breast screening multiple times. For me it was painless and I was happy to be screened. My motivation was to make sure any irregularities were picked up – because the earlier breast cancer is detected, the greater the chance of survival.”
