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Digital breast screening

NHS England is developing digital services to support the national breast screening programme. This includes new services and replacements for outdated technology.

Replacing NBSS (the National Breast Screening Service)

The processes involved in breast screening include identifying participants, arranging appointments, taking mammograms, reading images, and recording results.

The systems currently used by breast screening offices (BSOs) to manage these tasks are no longer fit for purpose. By 2029, we aim to replace them with modern, digital services under the name Rubie (Run Breast Screening in England).

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Subscribe to the Breast Screening Digital Digest (Microsoft Forms) for the latest updates. More information is available on NHS Futures (login required), including previous newsletters.

Created for the NHS, by the NHS

We’re working with colleagues in breast screening to develop bespoke services that meet their needs.

Designing this within the NHS allows us to create a flexible system that meets the latest web standards, bringing many benefits such as:

  • reduced costs (and less paper)
  • improved data quality and sharing across systems
  • more information for participants about their appointments and results
  • streamlined log-in through Single Sign-On (fewer usernames and passwords to remember)
  • integration with other NHS services (including the NHS App, NHS Notify, and CaaS)

Transition planning

The technology being replaced includes NBSS (the National Breast Screening System), BS Select (Breast Screening Select) and BSIS (Breast Screening Information System). These existing services will continue to run alongside Rubie until all BSOs can move fully to the new services.

Prior to onboarding, all BSOs across England will be offered support to guide them through the process of adopting Rubie and retiring existing technology.

Project progress

Different elements of the end-to-end service are being developed, tested and released on various timelines. This approach allows new functionality to be used by BSOs, without needing to wait for the whole system to be ready. Watch a video explaining our plans for a fully integrated service (2:27, YouTube).

Launched

  • Cohort manager - helping to select people for breast screening and preparing their data for use by other NHS services. The tool improves data quality and expands screening availability to those not typically considered for routine assessment.

Being developed

  • Clinic management - features that will allow breast screening office staff to manage their clinics and appointments, with an initial focus on providing the functionality needed to support migration from NBSS to Rubie.
  • Managing appointments (piloting in 2026) - helping staff to manage the flow of participants during a breast screening clinic
  • Reading images (piloting in 2026) - allowing radiologists to review cases, record their opinion and manage arbitration
  • Data extraction - accessing and making NBSS data available to support the rollout of Rubie, and supporting BSIS

The teams involved in developing these tools regularly publish updates on the digital screening design history.

Help us to improve the future of breast screening

Features are being actively trialled with BSOs to ensure they meet the needs of both clinical and administrative staff prior to release. Get in touch if you would like to be involved in research and testing, or if you have any other feedback or questions.