Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the efficacy of the invitation issued by the NHS Cervical Screening Programme which is addressed to women, people with a cervix and trans men if they have a cervix; and what steps they will take to ensure that the provision of cervical screening services is not degraded by a lack of clarity concerning eligibility for them.

We are aware that cancer screening coverage is lower in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Such inequalities are due partially to individuals being unsure which National Health Service screening programmes they are eligible for or how to access screening if they are not automatically invited. We have therefore worked with Cancer Research UK and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to amend the language used in cervical screening to include ‘women and anyone with a cervix’. The same terminology has also been applied to the NHS cervical screening leaflet.

We have also provided a leaflet for transgender and non-binary individuals, which explains which patient groups the NHS invites for screening and how eligible people can access screening if they are not automatically invited.