From December, the NHS will roll out a new “ping and book” service, alerting people through the NHS App to remind them they are due or overdue an appointment, with new functionality being developed to enable millions to book screening through the app next year.

NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, set out reforms that will fully digitise screening delivery, while helping improve uptake by making it easier for people to take up the offer of screening.

Pritchard said: “We’re making massive strides with the NHS App, with patients getting more information, convenience and control over their own care, while helping us to work more productively too.

“We are really excited by the potential of technology to revolutionise access to cancer screening for women and help ensure everyone eligible can make the most of these life-saving services at the touch of a button.

“Next month we’re starting the rollout of a new ‘ping and book’ approach for breast and cervical checks through the NHS App, which will replace costs of letters and text messages with pop-ups on your phone and help make it as convenient as possible to book appointments.”

Last year alone, NHS breast screening services detected cancers in 18,942 women across England, which otherwise may not have been diagnosed and treated until a later stage.

However despite rising uptake overall last year, the latest annual data (2022/23) shows more than a third of women (35.4 per cent) did not take up the offer of breast screening following an invitation, with 2.18 million eligible women not having had a mammogram in the last three years.

Eligible women will first receive a notification through the app to remind them to book an appointment, followed by an email or text message if they don’t respond, followed by a letter through the post if neither of the first two reminders have been responded to. NHS cancer screening programmes currently send over 25 million invitations, reminders and results letters to patients by post, costing £14.7 million every year.

Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “As a cancer survivor, I know how devastating a diagnosis can be – and how important it is to get the right diagnosis and treatment as quickly as possible.

“If we’re going to make the NHS fit for the future, we need to catch cancers earlier so that we can give people the best possible chance of survival. I hugely welcome plans to make it easier for millions of women to book a screening by harnessing the power of the NHS App.

“This is a great example of shifting the NHS from analogue to digital and the benefits of a modern health service, which this government will deliver as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.”

Claire Rowney, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, added: “Breast screening plays a central role in saving more lives from breast cancer. Yet the stark reality is, thousands of women in England are missing having their breast cancer detected each year, and the decline in breast screening uptake in recent years is deeply concerning. 

"This is why urgent changes to the breast screening programme are needed to guarantee women’s access both now and for the future.

“Modernising and making the programme more flexible and responsive to people’s needs will be key to providing accessible and efficient screening to everyone eligible. This welcome initiative to update IT and digital systems to allow for in-app invites, is a positive first step forward to encourage more women to attend breast screening.”