Government announces measures to improve women’s experience of cervical screening

The NHS has announced plans to roll out digital invitations and reminders for cervical screenings via the NHS App.

As part of a new “ping and book” service to boost uptake, eligible women will first receive a notification through the NHS App to alert them to book a screening appointment. If the app notification isn’t opened, a text message will follow. Letters will remain in place for those who need them.

In September last year, Healthwatch England published a national report: Cervical screening, my way, setting out recommendations for healthcare leaders. Healthwatch Surrey contributed to this report by interviewing local women with a learning disability and from minoritised ethnic backgrounds, thus ensuring that the voices of marginalised women from Surrey were heard on the national stage. Nearly half of the women who took part in the research said that the ability to book screenings via the NHS App would make them more likely to attend screening appointments in the future. You can read more in our Impact Report.

The latest Government announcement has also stated that, from July, younger women (ages 25-49) who test negative for human papillomavirus (HPV), meaning they are at very low risk of developing cervical cancer over the next ten years, will be invited for screening every five years rather than three year intervals.

Would the ability to book screening via the NHS App make you more likely to do so? We’d love to hear your thoughts. We sit on the Surrey Heartlands Women’s Health Steering Group and are always interested to hear the experiences of Surrey women.