Public Health England (PHE) Screening has published the fourth set of quarterly 2020 to 2021 key performance indicator (KPI) data for the NHS screening programmes.
KPIs measure how NHS screening programmes are performing and aim to give an overview of programme quality.
Latest data
The latest data covers quarter 4 (Q4), 1 January to 31 March 2021, and is split into publications for:
- antenatal and newborn (ANNB)
- young person and adult (YPA)
Data for some KPIs is collected later than the others, so we have also updated the Q3 KPI data files for:
- bowel cancer screening coverage (BCS2)
- ultrasound coverage in screening for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome (FA2)
Data highlights
National performance reached or remained at record highs of performance nationally in 6 of the KPIs in Q4 2020 to 2021.
These were the:
- infectious diseases KPIs for HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis coverage (ID1, ID3 and ID4) at 99.8%
- sickle cell and thalassaemia KPI for coverage (ST1) at 99.8%
- newborn hearing screening for attendance at audiological assessment (NH2) at 91.9%
- bowel cancer screening uptake (BCS1) at 71.0%
COVID-19
We are seeing variations in the data caused by COVID and expect these to continue for some time.
We recommend screening providers and commissioners follow these 3 steps when studying the data.
- Read the specific caveats we have provided for each KPI in the data files.
- Look at the historical trend data of screening services before the COVID-19 pandemic to help interpret the data (previously published data is available).
- Interpret the Q4 data with caution, keeping in mind the 2 steps above.
Summary factsheets
The data is accompanied by our latest KPI summary factsheet reports and national screening dashboard, which include:
- highlights of the data
- information on national trends
- regional performance
Please send any feedback to the PHE Screening helpdesk. We look forward to hearing from you.
PHE Screening blog
The PHE Screening blog provides up to date news from all NHS screening programmes. You can register to receive updates direct to your inbox, so there’s no need to keep checking for new blogs. If you have any questions about this blog article, or about population screening in England, please contact the PHE screening helpdesk.