Talks are taking place at Manx Care over the island’s cancer screening programme.

Health Minister David Ashford confirmed the position in Tynwald last week.

He also said, as far as he was aware, there were no plans to increase the time between routine breast screenings for women over 50 in the island beyond the current two years.

Manx Care was created earlier this year, to take responsibility for the operational side of health services, maintaining an arm’s length separation from the political aspect.

The issue of cancer screenings was raised in Tynwald last week by Julie Edge (Onchan), who has been pressing for improvements in the services for cancer patients.

Mr Ashford said: ’Manx Care is responsible for the delivery of screening programmes, with the commissioning of such a collaboration between the Department of Health and Social Care and Cabinet Office, and the director of public health.

’Initial discussions have already taken place between all three parties with strategic and operational working groups now to be established to agree the commissioning and delivery of these key programmes.’

A review and analysis of a recent audit of breast screening services would take place, he added.

’This has identified the implementation programme needed and investment in resource,’ he said. The DHSC would go to the Treasury with the scheme, for funding

’As the implementation programme is approved it is the intention of DHSC to formalise the delivery through the Manx Care mandate, starting with the 2022-23 mandate.’

Ms Edge, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and later given the all-clear, has raised concern at the number of cancer patients who had to wait more than 14 days for an appointment following a first referral.

She said the worry was that any changes to the screening programme will not take effect until 2022-23.

She asked: ’Will the minister provide assurance that there will be no change in the periods of time between screening coming forward, that it will still be two years on the island for breast, for example, rather than three -and, obviously, the bowel screening as well - [and] there will be no changes on that to mirror the UK systems?’

In the Isle of Man routine breast screening is available for women aged over 50 every two years, compared with every three years in the UK.

The minister said: ’I am certainly not aware of any proposals to change the time periods. In fact it would be news to me if there are.’

Earlier this year it was revealed that, over the previous 12 months, 55.9% of breast cancer patients and just over 60% of colorectal cancer patients were seen within the two-week target following a referral.

Mr Ashford also confirmed to Tynwald the governance arrangement for cancer screening would also be used to oversee other health programmes, including vaccination and immunisation, ’and will follow a similar principle to the current Covid-19 vaccination programme governance, which has been successfully undertaken on the island’.