Last Tuesday at the end of Parliament for the next few weeks one of the MPs who submitted a written question was Caroline Ansell who is the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion. Her question included the question “NHS app booking system for breast cancer screening appointments”  The Minister who responded was Will Quince who is in the Health and Social Care section and he is also the Colchester MP. Here is the question and the response and they can also be obtained from here.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to deliver an online and NHS app booking system for breast cancer screening appointments as part of the Digital Transformation of Screening programme; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: The Government has approved an investment of £68 million in the digital transformation of screening (DToS) programme. The main focus of DToS, which is being led by NHS England, will be to develop digital products to support the invitation of and communication with the public.

The first two national screening programmes to receive these products will be the National Health Service breast screening programme and the diabetic eye screening programme. Subsequently the product will be adapted for use by other existing and new national screening programmes.

The products are planned to support online and app booking as well as call centre booking for those who do not wish to use digital products. DToS will also explore the extent to which the app can be used for other communications with individual members of the public related to their screening requirements.