England GPs to call women for cervical screening every five years instead of three
The NHS in England is changing cervical cancer screening intervals from three to five years for women aged 25 to 49 years who have a negative HPV test.
From July, the changes will also mean that individuals whose sample indicates the presence of HPV or who have a recent history of HPV will continue to be invited to more frequent screenings.
England had already moved to longer screening intervals for women aged 50 to 64 years.
But the five-year gap between cervical screenings for younger women with a negative test had already happened in Wales and Scotland.
It follows advice from the UK National Screening Committee published in 2019 that screening intervals should be extended for three to five years in women aged 25 to 49 years who test negative for HPV.
At the same time the committee advocated 12-month surveillance for women who are HPV positive but cytology negative.
A pilot of this approach in England assessed by King’s College London researchers and published in the BMJ found that five-yearly screening is as safe as three-yearly.
Women due for screening will still be invited at the interval in which they were advised of at the time of their last test, NHS England confirmed.
So only those who attend cervical screening on or after 1 July, and meet the clinical criteria, will have their next test due date set at five years.
The announcement comes as the NHS rolled-out digital invitations and reminders for cervical screening via the NHS App.
Data published last year showed a third of eligible under 50s did not take up the offer of cervical screening.
Dr Sue Mann, NHS national clinical director for women’s health, said: ‘Taking a more personalised approach to cervical screening will help ensure everyone eligible can make the most of these life-saving services, while sparing women appointments that they don’t need.
‘The NHS is following robust evidence on how often women need to be safely screened, and by putting invitations and reminders straight in women’s pockets on their phones, we’re making it easier than ever to take up screening appointments.’
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: ‘We welcome this change to cervical screening in England, which is the result of years of vital research to make screening more effective and has shown it is safe to extend the time between tests.
‘Screening, alongside the roll out of the HPV vaccine – which Cancer Research UK scientists helped develop – have seen cervical cancer rates drop by around a quarter since the early 1990s, and we look forward to even more progress.’
Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said: ‘We welcome this change, which confirms that most women will not need to attend screening so frequently.
‘Healthwatch research last year showed many women can find it an uncomfortable experience, and sometimes difficult to schedule in around their busy lives.
‘Reducing the number of times they need to attend, alongside sensitive and empathetic approaches by health professionals, will make these important appointments easier to manage.’
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