London revealed as area with lowest cervical screening coverage in England
According to NHS data, London has the lowest age-appropriate coverage of any region in England. Charities are attempting to increase screening uptake as part of cervical cancer awareness week.
Data released by the NHS shows that London has the lowest uptake of cervical screening of any region in England, with just 61.6% of people having age-appropriate coverage regarding their smear test being up to date.
In the UK, people with a cervix aged between 25 and 64 are invited to attend cervical screening, also known as a smear test, with the first invitations sent out to people aged 24 and a half years.
Women and people with a cervix are considered adequately screened if they had a test every three years if they are aged 25 to 49, or every five years if they are aged between 50 and 64.
The test screens the cervix for abnormal changes and the presence of certain types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which can lead to cervical cancer.
Why are rates so low in London?
According to Athena Lamnisos, CEO of The Eve Appeal (a gynaecological cancers charity), cervical cancer “is an almost wholly preventable disease”, which raises questions as to why uptake is so low in London.
Retired women’s health advanced nurse practitioner Jenny Greenfield suggests that the high proportion of ethnic minorities in the London population is the main reason, and retired GP Stewart Manning expands on his experiences with this:
“We’re getting more and more people from different ethnic minorities, and a lot of them will not engage with healthcare professionals.”
“It’s invasive… you’re asking somebody to examine you, and particularly Muslim women are not particularly keen.”
Cervical cancer awareness week
In light of cervical cancer awareness week taking place this week from the 20th to the 26th of January, The Eve Appeal is trying to increase awareness of the procedure itself and increase accessibility to screening.
A recent survey, which they commissioned, revealed that many women have a lack of awareness about how screening can be made more comfortable for them.
Over half of those surveyed were unaware that they could ask the doctor or nurse to stop the screening during the process if they wanted them to, and over 3 in 4 did not know that they could ask for a smaller sized speculum.
Anxieties about cervical screening
Dr Sue Mann, NHS national clinical director for women’s health, highlighted the importance of screening despite many people’s anxieties over the actual procedure itself.
“We know that some women can find cervical screening very worrying and uncomfortable – and if you are concerned, our clinical staff will be on hand to help. You can ask for more time for your appointment, for the smallest speculum to be used and to have someone else in the room with you for support – and if the examination becomes too much, you can ask the person doing the test to stop at any point.
“Cervical screening saves lives, and alongside increasing uptake of HPV vaccination, supporting more women to attend their screening will be essential to our ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
“So if you’ve been invited, please do make an appointment with your GP practice or sexual health clinic as soon as possible, and it’s not too late to come forward even if you were due months or years ago – we will always be happy to see you.”
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HeadlineLondon revealed as area with lowest cervical screening coverage in England
Short HeadlineLondon cervical screening coverage lowest in UK
StandfirstAccording to NHS data, London has the lowest age-appropriate coverage of any region in England. Charities are attempting to increase screening uptake as part of cervical cancer awareness week.
Data released by the NHS shows that London has the lowest uptake of cervical screening of any region in England, with just 61.6% of people having age-appropriate coverage regarding their smear test being up to date.
In the UK, people with a cervix aged between 25 and 64 are invited to attend cervical screening, also known as a smear test, with the first invitations sent out to people aged 24 and a half years.
Women and people with a cervix are considered adequately screened if they had a test every three years if they are aged 25 to 49, or every five years if they are aged between 50 and 64.
The test screens the cervix for abnormal changes and the presence of certain types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which can lead to cervical cancer.
Why are rates so low in London?
According to Athena Lamnisos, CEO of The Eve Appeal (a gynaecological cancers charity), cervical cancer “is an almost wholly preventable disease”, which raises questions as to why uptake is so low in London.
Retired women’s health advanced nurse practitioner Jenny Greenfield suggests that the high proportion of ethnic minorities in the London population is the main reason, and retired GP Stewart Manning expands on his experiences with this:
“We’re getting more and more people from different ethnic minorities, and a lot of them will not engage with healthcare professionals.”
“It’s invasive… you’re asking somebody to examine you, and particularly Muslim women are not particularly keen.”
Cervical cancer awareness week
In light of cervical cancer awareness week taking place this week from the 20th to the 26th of January, The Eve Appeal is trying to increase awareness of the procedure itself and increase accessibility to screening.
A recent survey, which they commissioned, revealed that many women have a lack of awareness about how screening can be made more comfortable for them.
Over half of those surveyed were unaware that they could ask the doctor or nurse to stop the screening during the process if they wanted them to, and over 3 in 4 did not know that they could ask for a smaller sized speculum.
Anxieties about cervical screening
Dr Sue Mann, NHS national clinical director for women’s health, highlighted the importance of screening despite many people’s anxieties over the actual procedure itself.
“We know that some women can find cervical screening very worrying and uncomfortable – and if you are concerned, our clinical staff will be on hand to help. You can ask for more time for your appointment, for the smallest speculum to be used and to have someone else in the room with you for support – and if the examination becomes too much, you can ask the person doing the test to stop at any point.
“Cervical screening saves lives, and alongside increasing uptake of HPV vaccination, supporting more women to attend their screening will be essential to our ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
“So if you’ve been invited, please do make an appointment with your GP practice or sexual health clinic as soon as possible, and it’s not too late to come forward even if you were due months or years ago – we will always be happy to see you.”
