SIR– Theresa May has urged the NHS to revolutionise health outcomes by harnessing the power of AI to enable early cancer diagnosis.

Whilst it’s important to embrace the power that AI has to improve health outcomes, we have to ensure that GPs have access to the right training and support to care for patients with learning disabilities, who experience striking inequalities when it comes to cancer screenings. Having a positive GP experience – sometimes just a few extra minutes in an appointment – can make all the difference in cancer diagnosis.

Just 19 per cent of eligible women with learning disabilities and autism have had a cervical cancer screening, compared with 73 per cent of the general population. Women with learning disabilities and autism are also 10 per cent less likely to have the recommended three-yearly breast screening than other women.

Cancer screenings are a crucial part of public health but people with learning disabilities are routinely missing out.

It is estimated that by 2033, AI could help prevent 22,000 cancer deaths each year. We hope that people with autism and learning disabilities are recognised in this calculation, and that the Government recognises the urgent need to support our GPs as well as harness AI.

Alicia Wood, Head of Public Affairs at Dimensions, supporting people with autism and learning disabilities