London has lowest rate for cervical cancer screening in England

Less than two-thirds of women in the capital were up to date with their screening from 2021/22
Around 3,200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in the UK (stock image)
Shutterstock/Image Point Fr
Daniel Keane26 January 2023

London has the lowest rate for cervical cancer screening in England, the Standard can reveal, as the NHS issued an urgent plea for eligible women to come forward and get a test.

Less than two-thirds (62.6 per cent) of women in the capital were up to date with their screening for 2021/22 – well below the NHS target of 80 per cent.

Around 3,200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 800 die from the disease each year in the UK.

The UK currently offers a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in schools together with a cervical screening programme and colposcopy services that help catch pre-cancerous cell changes.

Women must go for a cervical smear test every 3.5 years if they are between 25 and 49, and every 5.5 years if aged between 50 and 64. This is intended to detect abnormalities within the cervix that could, if undetected and untreated, develop into cervical cancer.

But analysis of NHS Digital figures by the Labour party found that screening rates have fallen to below 70 per cent nationally, down from 75.7 per cent in 2010/11.

Rates of cervical screening were also on a downward trajectory even before the pandemic hit, according to Labour. In the year ending March 2020, they had fallen to 72 per cent nationally and 64.7 per cent in London.

Less than half of eligible women in boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea (45.6 per cent) and Westminster (47 per cent) were up to date with their cervical screening in 2021/22.

The NHS has urged anyone eligible for cervical screening to come forward as the UK marks Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.

Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Anneliese Dodds, said: “The Government has completely dropped the ball on cervical screening over the past decade and urgently needs to wake up to this growing problem for women’s health.

“For these women who aren't up to date with screening, there is the potential for cervical cancer to go undetected, with very real and potentially harrowing consequences for women.”

Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Patient Health Feryal Clark (L) and Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities Anneliese Dodds on a visit to Victoria Medical Centre
Getty Images

Speaking to the Standard on a visit to Victoria Medical Centre, Ms Dodds said the figures for London were “really concerning”.

“Many surgeries are doing a huge amount to drive screening rates up but this is part of a national pattern. We have to focus on driving up these rates, particularly in London but also other urban areas.

“The more general crisis that’s impacting our NHS is having a knock-on effect... if a woman isn’t undergoing the screening that she needs at the right time, that is going to be storing up potentially life changing consequences in the future.”

Separate figures released earlier this week show that vaccine uptake in eligible girls and boys fell by 7 per cent and 8.6 per cent respectively in 2021/22 compared with the previous year.

Coverage in England for girls receiving two doses by school year nine was just 67.3 per cent – 20 per cent lower than before the pandemic.

Ms Dodds said of the figures: “A lot of community-delivered healthcare in many parts of the country has been cut back. Labour want to focus on prevention - making sure people don’t fall into illness if they could have had that care earlier.

“There is a lot of variations in health outcomes for different groups of people. Many of the challenges we see in London, around deprivation or housing, are evidence that we need to integrate health into various different policy areas. That’s how we can have a healthier population. It reduces that pressure on the NHS.”

Dr Kiren Collison, interim director for primary care at NHS England, said it was “vital” that eligible women take up the offer of a test.

“If you have received an invitation, or missed your last screening, don’t wait to make an appointment, put your health first and book an appointment with your GP practice or sexual health clinic today – getting checked can save your life.”

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was approached for comment.

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