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Only one CCG met the cervical cancer screening target for under 50s

Just one out of 207 CCGs met the cervical cancer screening target for under 50s, Public Health England has said.

Between April and June last year only NHS Rushcliffe CCG met the 80% target, with the national results falling short at 69.7%, PHE found.

Using performance indicator CS1, introduced in 2017/18, PHE looked at the proportion of eligible women aged between 25 and 49 who had been adequately screened within the past three and a half years.

Over 7,000 practices across England reported their take-up, with London faring the worst at just 62.2%.

NHS Central London CCG saw just over half of the eligible women screened within the timeframe.

The North and South of England both saw 71.9% take-up, while the Midlands and East came in just behind at 71%.

Screening results for over 50s were slightly higher, although again the national results were below the acceptable threshold.

CS2, which looked at women aged over 50 who had been screened within the last five and a half years, found that just 18 out of 207 CCGs met the 80% threshold, with a national score of 77.1%.

Once again, London scored lowest at 75% coverage, while around 77% were screened in the rest of England.

The report follows a recent investigation by Pulse, which found that dozens of women in Essex had been incorrectly told that their cervical cancer screening results were negative, news which for some came over a year after they were given the all clear.

Data published by NHS Digital last year found that the cervical cancer screening uptake had decreased, with the 25-to-29 age group coverage at only 62%.

Coverage had also declined slightly for women aged 25 to 49, from 70.2% in March 2016 to 69.6%, at the same point in 2017.

The cervical screening programme was introduced to identify individuals who may have an increased risk of the cancer due to abnormalities of the cervix. Women aged between 25 to 49 are sent invitations every three years, while women aged 50 to 64 are sent them every five years.


          

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