'Stark inequality' in breast screening figures from most and least deprived communities across Ayrshire

dailyrecord.co.uk:

More needs to be done to address inequalities in the uptake of breast screening across Ayrshire, say MSPs.Carol Mochan MSP and Sharon Dowey MSP have hit out at concerning figures which flagged a 16.6 per cent difference in the uptake of breast screening attendance from the most and least deprived communities across NHS Ayrshire and Arran.The figures, released by Public Health Scotland on Tuesday, show that between 2019-2022, 67.6 per cent of women from the most deprived areas in the region’s health board attended screening appointments, compared to 84.2 per cent from the most affluent areas.The average difference in uptake of breast screening appointment between women in the most and least deprived areas across Scotland during that period was 18.8 per cent.South Scotland Labour MSP Carol Mochan said the “stark inequality is simply unacceptable.”Ms Mochan said: “For too long, women in Ayrshire and Arran’s most deprived areas have been let down by this Scottish Government and still we are seeing little in the way of progress.

These differences re-emphasise the scale of health inequalities across the area.“We need to have a serious rethink about how we improve women’s health outcomes in Scotland, and the Scottish Government must be upfront and honest about its failings to significantly reduce health inequalities.“Our primary care and screening services must be community based, serving our most deprived communities first.“I have asked the Minister for Women’s Health Jenni Minto to meet with me urgently to discuss ways of moving forward towards seriously reducing health inequalities in South Scotland and beyond.”Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Sharon Dowey said: "It’s concerning to see that less people in Ayrshire are