NHS urges more women to take up cervical screening invitations

Women in England have been urged to attend cervical screenings after figures showed a third of those under 50 did not take up their invitation. 

NHS cervical screening helps to prevent cervical cancer by using a test to check for high-risk HPV, which causes 99 per cent of cervical cancers.

HPV can cause abnormal cells to develop in the cervix and if left untreated, these cells can turn into cervical cancer over time.

Women are invited for screening by the NHS every three to five years depending on their age, or more frequently if HPV is detected.

The latest figures show that as of December last year, 65.8 per cent of the 11 million eligible women aged 25-49 took up their cervical screening invitation and were screened within the recommended time. The proportion was 74.1 per cent among women aged 50-64.

In 2022-23, everyone in England who was due a test – 4.62 million individuals aged 25 to 64 – was invited to book an appointment, and 3.43 million attended screening during the year.

Steve Russell, chief delivery officer and national director for vaccinations and screening for NHS England, said: “We have set an ambitious target of eliminating cervical cancer within the next two decades – one of the few countries in the world who have committed to this – and we are doing everything we can to achieve our ambition by making it as easy as possible to make appointments, and continuing to send invites and reminders to all eligible women.

“But in order to make this a reality we need to see more women coming forward for their cervical screening appointments when invited – even if you previously missed your appointment, don’t wait around for another invitation before contacting your GP practice – you can still book in now and this could save your life.”

Last year, the head of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, pledged to wipe out cervical cancer by 2040 by making it easier for people to get the HPV vaccination and increasing cervical screening uptake.

The HPV vaccine protects against cervical cancer and a range of mouth and throat cancers and 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.

Attending cervical screening appointments is still important, however, as the vaccine does not provide protection from all types of HPV.

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