What general practitioners should do about breast screening

doi:10.1136/bmj.310.6974.204

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Paul A Creighton

General practitioner Broomhill Health Centre, Morpeth NE65 0SR

Employ more staff, set priorities, and delegate

Despite evidence that the national breast screening programme is working well, primary health care teams could do still more to improve uptake.1 2 Why, for example, are rates of breast screening in Grampian lower than those of childhood immunisation and cervical screening (as reported in this week's journal, p 2293)?

General practitioners are well placed to encourage women to attend for breast screening, and they have received guidelines on improving the quality and uptake of the screening programme and on ensuring that women receive information and counselling.4 Yet their wholehearted commitment seems doubtful,5 6 and Rudiman and colleagues have tried to …