The NHS invites women for screening every three to five years depending on their age, or more frequently if the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is detected, with the programme saving thousands of lives annually.
The NHS Cervical Screening Programme, England 2023-2024 annual report, published by NHS England today, found that 68.8% of 25 to 64-year-olds were screened within the recommended period of time, compared to 68.7% the previous year. Coverage was higher for 50 to 64-year-olds at 74.3% compared with 25 to 49-year-olds at 66.1%.
In 2023-24, everyone who was due a test – a total of 5.12 million individuals aged 25 to 64 in England – was invited to book an appointment, and 3.25 million were tested during the year.
‘We have set ourselves an ambitious target of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 – a commitment shared by only a few countries worldwide,’ said Sue Mann, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Women’s Health.
‘In order to achieve this, we are working hard to ensure that everyone who’s eligible has access to HPV vaccination and cervical screening appointments, and that they are suitably informed on how to book and what to expect at an appointment.’
Last year, the NHS pledged to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 by making it as easy as possible for people to get the lifesaving HPV vaccination and encouraging more women and people with a cervix to come forward for their cervical screening.
Earlier this month, the NHS set out reforms to fully digitise screening – by announcing the rollout of a new ‘ping and book’ service that will send alerts to phones to remind women they are due or overdue an appointment.