Outsourcing firms could be banned from carrying out NHS cancer screening services

Outsourcing companies could be banned from carrying out NHS cancer screening services following scandals where thousands of women were not invited for vital checks.

Health chiefs will launch a major national overhaul of cancer screening programmes with aim of cutting the number of deaths of patients whose diseases could have been caught earlier.

The announcement follows revelations that up to 48,500 women did not receive information regarding cervical cancer screening after a system error at Capita, which is contracted to provide support services across England.

Meanwhile in May it was revealed that between 135 and 270 women may have had their lives cut short due to failures in breast cancer screening following a computer error.

Screening can help spot problems early before a person has any symptoms, when cancer is often easier to treat. In some cases it can even prevent cancers from developing in the first place, by spotting people at risk.

There are three national cancer screening programmes in England - for cervical, breast and bowel cancers.

The review, which will also look at how to encourage more eligible people to be screened, will be led by Professor Sir Mike Richards, who was the NHS's first cancer director and is the former Care Quality Commission (CQC) Chief Inspector of Hospitals.

He will lead a team which will assess current screening programmes and recommend how they should be organised, developed and improved.

They will advise NHS England and Public Health England (PHE) on the best operational delivery models for current screening programmes, including possible changes to currently outsourced provision.

Sir Mike said: "There is no doubt that the screening programmes in England save thousands of lives every year, however, as part of implementing the NHS's long-term plan, we want to make certain they are as effective as possible.

"This review provides the opportunity to look at recent advances in technology and innovative approaches to selecting people for screening, ensuring the NHS screening programme can go from strength to strength and save more lives."

NHS England's national medical director, Professor Steve Powis, said: "Screening is a vital and effective tool in our fight against cancer. However, recent issues with breast and cervical cancer screening have shown that we need to look closely at these existing programmes.

"Sir Mike has a wealth of experience in healthcare and is ideally placed to lead this independent review."

The review is expected to report by summer 2019.