Cervical screening
Cervical screening, which used to be called smear test, is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. It's offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64.
Every day eight women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and three die from the disease. Yet cervical cancer is largely preventable thanks to the NHS cervical screening programme and HPV vaccination programme. All women aged between 25 and 50 years old should have a smear every 3 years and from 50-64 years every 5 years.
A whopping 99.8% of cervical cancers can be prevented by screening.
Cancer Research UK keep up to date figures on their website.
Lots of women feel embarrassed about having the test but it should not be painful and our nurses are very experienced in putting you at your ease. Nearly all cervical cancer diagnosed early is fully treatable.
So if you are due to have cervical screening, please call our Care Navigation team on 0117 959 1919 who will be happy to book you a nurse appointment.
Alternatively, you may have been sent a self-booking link by the surgery, where you can select a convenient appointment online. Please follow the link sent to you by text message.
If you have further questions, please visit the NHS website or Jo's trust website.