Breast Cancer Screening. Report to the Health Ministers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by a working group chaired by Professor Sir Patrick Forrest
Published November 1986 | ISBN 0 11 321071 X | OUT OF PRINT
Download The Forrest Report (PDF 6Mb)
In 1985, Kenneth Clarke, then Minister of Health, convened an expert committee chaired by Professor Sir Patrick Forrest to report on screening for breast cancer. The committee presented its report to ministers in 1986, and concluded that:
‘Screening by mammography can lead to prolongation of life for women aged 50 and over. There is a convincing case on clinical grounds for a change in UK policy on the provision of mammographic facilities and the screening of symptom-less women.’
It also concluded that the necessary back-up services would need to be provided to assess the abnormalities detected at screening.
Following the Forrest recommendations, the NHS Breast Screening Programme was established in March 1987 and began inviting women in 1988.
- NHSBSP home page
- Programme publications
- About breast screening
- What is breast screening?
- What does the NHS Breast Screening Programme do?
- What happens at a breast screening unit?
- Why are women under 50 not routinely invited?
- Are women screened over the age of 70?
- Screening women at higher risk
- Does breast screening save lives?
- Does breast screening have any risks?
- What is Digital Mammography?
- Research in breast screening
- About breast cancer
- Programme logistics
- Frequently asked questions
- Programme statistics
- Mammography equipment reports
- Programme news index
- Useful links