The government has pledged £10 million towards the development of new breast cancer screening units and a range of software upgrades to speed up diagnosis of the disease.

It said that the investment will help roll out 58 live remote access upgrades for existing units and 10 software upgrades to carry out ultrasounds and X-rays to better detect cancer.

The government says the new units and service upgrades will allow more women to be screened earlier.

According to the health minister, last year 100,000 people were diagnosed with cancer at the earlier stages of one and two.

“This is the highest proportion on record but we want to do better still,” said health minister Helen Whately.“Most people will get the reassurance of an all-clear but for those who are diagnosed, catching their cancer early is the best thing we can do - and gets them on the path to early treatment too.”

Steve Russell, NHS national director for screening and vaccinations said that the move will help increase screening rates amongst women from communities and regions where uptake is lowest by improving facilities in both fixed and mobile locations.

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