Hansard

I add my thanks to Linda Fabiani for securing today’s debate.

Last week, I was one of thousands of people to join in the world’s biggest coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. I was delighted that the people of Erskine who attended helped to raise more than £160. I say a big thank you to everyone who came along on Friday.

Today’s debate is very sensitive, as breast cancer affects almost every family across Scotland and further afield. I speak as someone who has benefited from genetic testing. Because of a genetic breast cancer in my family, I know only too well how crucial the research into and advances in detection and treatment of cancer are.

This month, many charities and organisations are helping to raise awareness of breast cancer, from Macmillan Cancer Support and Breakthrough Breast Cancer in Scotland to the White House and the National Football League in the States. It is right that we have the chance to debate how we raise awareness in this chamber. Last month, the Scottish Government launched a new advert, fronted by Elaine C Smith, which has been mentioned by other members in this debate. Some people have referred to the advert as “shocking”. I would prefer that the likes of the BBC used adjectives such as “vital”, “necessary” or “crucial” to encourage women to look for early signs, not to scare them—suspecting that one has breast cancer is already a frightening experience.

I want to focus on tackling inequalities in screening. In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, it was found that women with learning difficulties were less likely to take up screening than those in other NHS regions. Those women are more likely to wait longer before seeing a doctor or less likely to attend screenings. There needs to be more effort to encourage women with learning difficulties to have regular screening. How we target that group of vulnerable women is a serious issue that the Parliament must address—with regard to screenings not only for breast cancer, but for all cancers.

Recently, the Equal Opportunities Committee launched its report into Gypsy Traveller communities’ access to healthcare, which included access to screenings by Gypsy Traveller women. Another report suggested that the best way to educate younger generations of Gypsy Traveller women is to go through the matriarch, who is normally the grandmother in the family. I look forward to working further with the committee and the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on improving access to healthcare for Gypsy Traveller women, especially to improve the early detection of cancers, which can save the lives of many.

There appears to be a decline in the number of women who access screening when we look from the least-deprived areas to the most-deprived areas. As with women with learning difficulties, there is a lower uptake among women from the poorest areas of society. Although it is good practice for mobile breast-screening units to be parked near community centres and libraries, we must remember that those facilities are often the first to be closed as a result of budget cuts, especially in poor areas. That means that poor women will continue to have the lowest uptake of breast cancer screening.

In closing, I commend the work of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and its excellent touch, look, check campaign.

17:44