NHS plans to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040

The NHS has pledged to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040, in a move that could save thousands of lives.

Speaking at NHS Providers’ annual conference, NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard has outlined how the health service can achieve the goal for elimination by making it as easy as possible for people to get the lifesaving HPV vaccination and increasing cervical screening uptake.

England is among the first countries in the world to set this elimination ambition within the next two decades. The World Health Organisation considers cervical cancer to be eliminated as a public health problem when there is an incidence rate lower than four per 100,000 women.

As part of new plans to put the NHS one step closer to eliminating the HPV virus, which causes up to 99 per cent of cervical cancers, Pritchard said health professionals will be supported to identify those who most need the vaccine.

The NHS will also set out plans to improve access to online vaccination appointments nationally, with millions more people able to view their full vaccination record and book vaccines on the NHS App over the coming months.

Vaccinations, Pritchard said, will become part of a “one-stop shop”, with NHS staff set to expand the offer of blood pressure tests and other health checks and advice, alongside routine vaccinations.

The HPV vaccine prevents invasive strains of the virus, known to cause almost all cervical cancers, as well as some mouth and throat cancers. It is given to both girls and boys in secondary school to protect them against catching the HPV infection and developing into pre-cancerous and cancer cells.

To eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, the NHS needs to ensure as many people as possible are being vaccinated against HPV, while also coming forward for cervical screening.

Pritchard said: “It is truly momentous to be able to set out such an important, life-saving ambition. To eliminate cervical cancer would be an incredible achievement and through a combination of our HPV vaccination programme and our highly-effective cervical screening programme, it could become a reality in in the next two decades.

“Vaccination and screening are the key tools which mean we are one step closer to achieving this and the NHS is already making it easier than ever before for people to protect themselves and their families – whether it’s through community outreach in areas of lower uptake or expanding the NHS app so that everyone has their vaccine history and booking options in the palm of their hand.

“As ever, the public can play their part by coming forward for their vaccines and screening appointments when invited – to achieve our goal of eliminating cervical cancer, we need as many people as possible to take up the offer, so please don’t delay – it could save your life.”

Around 2,700 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in England each year, but the NHS screening programme helps save around 5,000 lives each year.

NHS screening helps prevent cervical cancer by using a test to check for high-risk HPV which may cause abnormal cells to develop in the cervix. These abnormal cells can, over time, turn into cancer if left untreated.

The NHS is inviting more people than ever before for cervical screening, while self-sampling will be trialled to determine if it could be introduced as part of national screening.

Steve Russell, chief delivery officer and national director for vaccinations and screening for NHS England, said: “Vaccination and screening are some of the most powerful tools we have for preventing disease and for keeping people from becoming unwell.

“We have learnt invaluable lessons from the pandemic, with our hugely successful Covid-19 vaccine programme saving thousands of lives, and our vision for the future of vaccination draws on those learnings, with plans to educate millions more people on the importance of vaccination, while making it easier than ever before to access vaccines online.”

Through routine and post-pandemic catch-up programmes, by school age year 10, 86 per cent of girls and 81 per cent of boys received one dose of the HPV vaccine, with studies suggesting the vaccine programme has prevented around 450 cancers and 17,200 pre-cancers.

Following the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the NHS recently updated its HPV vaccination programme to single dose instead of two doses for under 25s.

This move will make it more convenient for young people to ensure they are protected and up to date with their vaccinations.

Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: “It’s tremendous news that we are on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 in this country. But alongside the success of the HPV vaccine for both boys and girls, regular cervical screenings for women are still essential to stop the development of cancerous cells in their tracks.

“A third of women do not take up the offer of cervical screening when invited, which is still a big risk for our plans.

“Cervical cancer often causes no symptoms during the early stages of the disease, so it is especially important that people attend their tests when in invited by the NHS and that those who are eligible get vaccinated against HPV.”

Cancer Research UK’s head of health and patient information, Dr Julie Sharp, added: “We support NHS England’s target and pledge to save even more lives from cervical cancer. Combined with screening, HPV vaccination could reduce cervical cancer to the point where almost no one develops it.

“To ensure everyone has equal access to these life-saving programmes, there must be targeted action to increase HPV vaccination coverage and reduce barriers to cervical screening.

“This ambition will only be possible if the vaccination and screening programmes are backed by sufficient resource and modern IT infrastructure.”

Martin Hunt, CEO of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust said: “We’re really pleased that NHS England is pledging to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

“The HPV vaccination programme is incredibly successful and has already led to an 87 per cent decrease in cervical cancer incidence in women in their 20s.”

He added: “It’s fantastic to see renewed efforts to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to receive the jab and reduce their risk of cervical cancer. By improving the uptake of both cervical screening and HPV vaccines, we can make cervical cancer a thing of the past.”

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