Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the uptake of cervical screening.

A range of improvements and innovations have been brought in to help improve uptake and equity of access in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. In some Primary Care Network areas, appointments can now be made in any primary care setting, rather than just at the patient’s own general practice, where they are registered; during evenings and on weekends; and via integrated sexual health clinics. Additionally, laboratories that analyse samples can now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to accommodate surges in capacity.

To improve uptake and equity of action, an evaluation on the acceptability and effectiveness of Human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling (i.e. individuals taking their own cervical screening sample) as a primary cervical screening option is taking place. The YouScreen Study aims to provide evidence on the acceptability of self-testing and is offering this test to non-attenders aged 25-64 and those at least six months overdue for cervical screening. The HPValidate study aims to see if self-testing provides the same level of accuracy as an HPV test undertaken by a clinician.

The findings from these studies will be used to inform a UK National Screening Committee recommendation on cervical screening. If the outcome proves positive, self-sampling could lead to an increase in uptake as it will reduce some of the barriers that prevent people from attending for screening, including availability of appointments, physical disability, and past trauma.