The SoR has welcomed the government’s new HPV screening scheme, which offers women and people with a cervix home-testing kits to support vital health checks.
On Tuesday (24 June), the government announced that under-screened women in England who have missed invites to screening appointments will be offered more convenient HPV self-sampling kits as part of aims to make care more convenient, and support a shift from treatment to prevention.
This initiative builds on the NHS’ personalised approach to cervical screening under the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan.
'Positive and welcomed'
Charlotte Beardmore, executive director of professional policy at the SoR, said: “Screening picks up cancers sooner and at an earlier stage and therefore any plan to increase screening rates through improving access to the test is positive and welcomed.”
Deeply entrenched barriers keep some women away from potentially life-saving screenings, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. These include fear of discomfort, embarrassment, cultural sensitivities, and the struggle to find time for medical appointments.
Cervical cancer screening participation currently sits at just 68.8 per cent, despite the NHS England target of 80 per cent. This means over five million women in England are not up to date with their routine check-up.
Charlotte encouraged eligible members of the SoR to attend their screening appointment, to promote the importance of screening to the public, and to share the recent announcement that there is access for home-testing kits for those who have missed an invite or are part of communities with lower uptake.
Putting women in control of their health
People who have rarely or have never attended their cervical screening will be offered a self-sample kit to complete at home. They are then sent out in discreet packaging and returned via pre-paid mail in the local post box.
The government's upcoming 10 Year Health Plan – due to be published in the coming weeks – will set out how government will tackle challenges facing the health service and build an NHS that is fit for the future by doing more to prevent ill health in the first place.
Health and Social Care secretary,Wes Streeting, said: "These self-sampling kits represent healthcare that works around people's lives, not the other way around. They put women firmly in control of their own health, ensuring we catch more cancers at their earliest, most treatable stages.
"Our 10 Year Health Plan will fundamentally reform the NHS, shifting focus from treating illness to preventing it before it starts.
“We know the earlier cancer is diagnosed the better the chances are of survival. By making screening more convenient, we're tackling the barriers that keep millions of women from potentially life-saving tests.”
Overcoming hurdles
The programme specifically targets those groups consistently missing vital appointments, with younger women, ethnic minority communities facing cultural hurdles, people with a disability and LGBT+ people all set to benefit.
Anyone testing positive for HPV through self-sampling will be encouraged to attend a clinician-taken follow-up cervical screening test to check for cervical cell changes.
Digital invitations and reminders for cervical screening were also recently rolled out as part of the NHS App’s ‘ping and book’ service.
(Image: Photo by Elena Kalfa, via Getty Images)