Cervical Screening

Appointments

Currently women identified as high risk will be offered the opportunity to have a cervical screening. Priority will be given to:

patients who are HIV positive
patients with a previous cytological abnormality who:
- have not attended for assessment at colposcopy;
- have been assessed and treated at colposcopy and are due for a Test of Cure sample to be taken
patients with a mental health issue which is exacerbated by the lack of access to cervical screening
Any patient whose recall interval is shorter than the routine for her age group.

If we have the capacity to offer additional screens beyond these groups, consideration may be given to screening women who have already received an invitation or reminder letter.

If you think you meet any of the criteria you can call the practice and speak to a member of our nursing team to book an appointment.

15-21 June 2020

Coronavirus has changed lots of things. Cervical Screening Awareness Week isn’t one of them!

If you are due cervical screening or have had a test cancelled, you might be wondering what is going on. Whether it’s your first or your last test, we’re going to help you understand changes to cervical screening as a result of coronavirus, including what to expect if you go.

Cervical screening during coronavirus: How does it work now?

5 million women are invited for cervical screening every year in the UK but over the last few months many tests have been postponed and invitations paused. We also know that cervical screening isn’t always easy and coronavirus might have made it more complicated. During Cervical Screening Awareness Week we’re going to be helping you make sense of the changes.

Resources and support for patients

To understand how healthcare works now and get information, help and support

Check out ‘How it works now’ series for information, videos and resources >

How it works now series aims to help you navigate how healthcare system works at the moment. It explores the changes to cervical screening (smear tests), colposcopy, cervical cancer care and more with information, real experiences and videos.

https://www.jostrust.org.uk/coronavirus/how-it-works-now

Cervical screening: How it works now FAQs

There will be new information, videos and resources explaining what is happening across the UK and helping answer your questions.

What is cervical screening?

Cervical screening (a smear test) is a free health test available on the NHS as part of the national Cervical Screening Programme. It is not a test for cancer. It helps prevent cervical cancer by checking for a virus called high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and, if you have HPV, cervical cell changes.

Get Support

If you want to talk through any of these changes you might like to call Helpline on 0808 802 8000 or join a Forum to speak with others going through similar experiences.