(2) what estimate she has made of the number of additional endoscopists required to support a fully-implemented national bowel cancer screening programme.
[holding answer 23 March 2007]: Training in endoscopy (bowel scoping) is vital to the diagnosis of bowel cancer. To prepare for the bowel cancer screening programme, we have built on the training established as part of the national health service cancer plan. A national training programme has been established, with three national and seven regional centres, to train medical staff, general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals to carry out vital procedures for diagnosing bowel cancer. The options appraisal analysis for the introduction of the bowel cancer screening programme estimated that an additional 61,274 endoscopies would be required equating to 14 additional endoscopy units staffed by four trained nurse endoscopists and 1.4 whole-time equivalent gastroenterologists. It is for cancer networks to work in partnership with strategic health authorities and postgraduate deaneries to put in place a sustainable process to assess, plan and review their workforce needs and the education and training of all staff linked to local and national priorities for cancer.
Based on current trends and definitions the training programme is projected to deliver the following training courses by the end of 2006-07.
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Total Medical endoscopists 494 249 618 1,361 Non medical endoscopists 60 61 26 147 Total 554 310 644 1,508
(2) pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2007, Official Report, column 1190W, on bowel cancer screening, what funding earmarked for the programme has been included in the Strategic Health Authority bundle for 2007-08.
[holding answer 29 March 2007]: Funding for the national health service bowel cancer screening programme is included in the strategic health authority (SHA) bundle, that incorporates a number of budgets formally managed directly by the Department.
Around £10 million was made available for wave one of the programme in 2006-07. The value of the SHA bundle for 2007-08 is £6,945.78 million, and was announced in the NHS operating framework that was published on 11 December 2006 to the NHS. £27.5 million was included in the SHA bundle for the bowel screening programme. Allocations are made direct to SHAs, and they manage the distribution of funds among the different programmes, including the bowel cancer screening programme, taking account of local circumstances.
This is an ambitious project and the Government are committed to ensuring that the necessary funding is available to ensure the full implementation of the bowel cancer screening programme.
[holding answer 29 March 2007]: We started the roll-out of the programme slightly later than originally intended. However, we took all the practical steps possible to prepare for the roll-out and to minimise the delay. All five programme hubs in England are now operational, and 15 of the eventual 90 to 100 local screening centres opened in 2006-07. These cover 49 out of 152 primary care trusts in England, covering a population of 13 million, around 26 per cent. of the English population. It is for strategic health authorities working in partnership with their primary care trusts and local stakeholders to organise and deliver services for their local populations. We expect around half of the local screening centres to be operational by March 2008, with full overage in England by December 2009.
The bowel cancer screening programme is an ambitious project, and one of the first of its kind in Europe. When fully implemented, it will screen around 2 million men and women and detect around 3,000 bowel cancers every year. We are committed to implementing this important programme.
The bowel cancer screening programme is beginning by inviting men and women aged 60 to 69 to be screened as the risk of bowel cancer increases with age, with over 80 per cent. of bowel cancers arising in people who are 60 or over.
The successful national health service pilot study also showed that men and women in their 60s were more likely to take up their invitations for screening than men and women in their 50s.
Within the programme, men and women aged 70 and over are able to self-refer for screening every two years.
When we have rolled out the programme to the whole of England, we will make an assessment of whatever next steps may be required, including looking at the age range.