Cervical

Screening

The national NHS cervical screening programme offers tests to anyone with a cervix aged 25 to 64 in England. Eligible people registered with a GP are automatically invited. Screening helps prevent cancer by detecting HPV and abnormal cell changes, preventing up to 75% of cervical cancers.

Supporting primary care delivery

There are two services/systems that are instrumental to the delivery of cervical screening within primary care.

Important Updates for 2025/2026

There have been some significant changes and developments within the cervical screening programme this year. These changes are important to promote and take forward with patients:

Changes to the invitation interval – from the 1st July 2025 those with a cervix will be invited for screening every 5 years. There are some notable exceptions which are outlined on the NHS Futures Screening and Immunisation page. (note: you need to be registered with NHS Futures to access them.)

Cervical screening invitations via the NHS app – patients who have signed up to the NHS App and have notifications activated will get their invitation to be screened through the NHS app. If the notification isn’t read a text will be sent, if that is not read an invitation letter will be sent out.

Negative test results – will be sent to patients via the NHS app where enabled (with alternate notification methods for those not using the app).

HPV vaccination catch-up campaign – GP practices will contact individuals up to the age of 25 who are registered with a GP and missed their HPV vaccination at school, offering them the opportunity to receive the vaccine. This campaign will continue until 31st March 2026. Men who have sex with men can access the HPV vaccination at specialist sexual health clinics up to the age of 45 yrs.

Supporting trans male and non-binary people to opt-in – GP practices are required to identify and seek patient consent to being part of the cervical screening programme to receive automatic invitations.

All the above workstreams are part of NHS England’s cervical cancer elimination strategy.

Training updates – more detailed information is available via NHS Futures (you must be registered to access NHS Futures)

Improvement activity for cervical screening could be focused on the following core activities:

  • Understanding what the barriers to screening are for different population groups e.g. in respect to learning disabilities, physical disabilities, cultural beliefs, health literacy and access.
  • Undertaking audits or reviews to identify your practice’s core underserved populations and non-responder groups.
  • Targeted interventions to follow up specific non-responders e.g. people with learning disabilities, SMI, physical disabilities, living in high deprived areas, of working age, BAME etc.
  • Consider how access to appointments could be improved 👉 reasonable adjustments
  • Priming communications and support for first time invitees in underserved population groups.
  • Addressing known screening inequalities by supporting both national and regional initiatives to improve screening uptake, including awareness raising campaigns.

Patient and public accessible resources can be found 👉 here.

Data

Understanding your current uptake and coverage data is an important starting point. It helps to establish your baseline position before you implement any improvements.

Sources of cervical screening data include 👉 OHID Fingertips. (The OHID website does not provide real time data, current data provided is for 2024/2025).

Real times data trends can be accessed via primary care clinical systems. A top tip is to use some of the pre-designed clinical searches developed by the 👉 Clinical Digital Resource Collaborative (CDRC). These searches can help to identify and profile your non-responders.

Understand the Barriers to Screening

Barriers to cervical screening engagement are well researched and can be broadly categorised, as follows:

  • Embarrassment – suggest asking for a female doctor/nurse when booking, wear a long skirt so not as exposed, discuss embarrassment with doctor prior to the screening taking place.
  • Pain – perceived and actual discomfort.
  • Fear of results – reassure the patient that the screening isn’t a test for cancer but looking for the virus which may develop over time and the earlier it is identified the more cancer can be prevented.
  • Judgement – potentially due to religious beliefs, family pressure or myths surrounding reasons for screening. Reassure patients of confidentiality within practices.
  • Familiarity with the sample taker – refer to local 👉 contraception and sexual health clinic (CASH) or see if they can swap surgeries with a nearby surgery within the PCN.
  • Access – suitable appointments dates and times, concerns about ability to participate.

National examples

👉 Visit the Cancer Research UK PCN contract hub

👉 Cancer Research UK cervical screening good practice guide

👉 Cancer Research UK reducing cancer screening inequalities

👉 Macmillan cancer screening quality improvement toolkit

Practice examples

The following presentations are GP practice examples of cervical screening quality improvement projects and approaches:

👉 Care Coordinators – engaging first time attendees

👉 Targeted follow-up of non-responders

PCN Facilitators can provide more examples and access to different patient texts, Facebook promotion, nurse videos and patient letters.

Behavioural Science Interventions

We offer GP Practices/PCNs with exceptionally low cervical screening rates the opportunity to use tailor made behavioural science interventions to target non-responders identified in real-time. Interventions include the adoption of self- booking systems and specifically designed patient messaging. Contact your PCN Facilitator or the NCA for more information.