Tower Hamlets PCT uses text messaging to boost attendance for breast cancer screening

Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust has partnered with mobile health promotion specialists iPLATO to help increase the number of women attending breast cancer screening clinics. Supported by the Public Health Team, twenty GP surgeries will use the iPLATO patient care messaging system to send patients timely reminders of their screening appointment.“We will be using the text messaging system for breast screening appointment reminders in the coming weeks,” said, Virginia Patania, Practice Manager at the Jubilee Place Practice. “We are looking forward to the opportunity of providing an innovative service that aims to increase the effectiveness of the breast screening programme.”

Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer in Tower Hamlets. One in nine women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life and it is essential that attending a breast screening invitation is regarded as a high priority.

The borough has a culturally diverse population and communicating effectively to all groups the importance of screening is vital for the success of the breast screening programme. With 82% of the UK adult population owning a mobile phone, text messaging has proved to be an effective way of communicating with patients.

Ian Basnett director of public health team said, “Crucial to a continued reduction in breast cancer mortality is early diagnosis, as the earlier cancer is identified, the easier it is to treat and the better the prognosis. One way of identifying cancer at an early stage is through screening. Our role has been to commission safe, effective and quality assured breast screening services for the eligible population of the PCT. Public health staff work with the screening provider to encourage women to attend their appointment. We have chosen to test whether text messaging can help with this process and the iPLATO platform has demonstrated success in other areas of public health.”

Eligible women are now being invited from postal codes E1, E2, and E3 to attend for breast screening.

Women interested in this free reminder service should ensure that their mobile number is recorded with their GP surgery.

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Notes for Editors:

About Breast Cancer in Tower Hamlets

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in the UK, accounting for 30% of all cancers diagnosed. Tower Hamlets has fewer cases of breast cancer than the national average, probably because breast cancer tends to be more common in affluent populations. The national target for breast screening coverage is 70% for women aged 53 to 70 years. Coverage in Tower Hamlets at 31 March 2005 was 37.8% and national coverage was 75.5%. This extremely low coverage was largely due to the failure of the screening service to find suitable sites for the breast screening mobile unit.

About Tower Hamlets PCT

Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust is made up of 1,250 nurses, midwives, therapists, doctors, support and public health staff, working with more than 158 GPs in 36 practices. We are improving health by:

• Commissioning services from NHS Trusts and others to meet the needs of local people
• Providing high quality health care in the local community
• Working with general practitioners, the local authority, NHS Trusts and voluntary organisations to find new, better ways to provide care

Press contact:

Jeremy Gardner, 020 8223 8921