Women at risk over ‘postcode lottery’ of screening

WOMEN’S LIVES are being put at risk by failings in the way cervical screening programmes are being delivered, according to a charity which is demanding action from the Government.

A postcode lottery in access to potentially life-saving screening is revealed in a report out today by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, which is calling for an urgent audit system to tackle inequalities in access to testing.

The report, titled Computer Says No, raises fears that disabled women and those who experience sexual violence are at a disadvantage and criticises IT systems and a lack of long-term planning by health bosses.

Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health, said: “Cervical screening is the best protection against cervical cancer and I support Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust in their calls to make it easier for women to access the test.

“There are many reasons which can make attending cervical screening difficult, including fear and embarrassment, so it should not be the case that women are also struggling to get appointments.”

About 5m women a year are invited for cervical screening, which is mainly carried out by GPs and prevents 75 per cent of cervical cancers. Research by the charity found one in eight women found it difficult or impossible to get a screening appointment with their GP after being invited. A further 7.4 per cent of women were told no appointments at their GP practice were available the last time they tried to book.

Funding cuts are said to be behind a 52 per cent fall in testing samples taken through sexual health services in England since 2013. In Yorkshire and the Humber, 6,817 samples taken in clinics were examined in pathology laboratories in 2013-14, compared to 2,338 last year. Eight women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every day in the UK and three die of the disease.

Professor Anne Mackie, director of screening for Public Health England (PHE), said: “PHE is committed in its role to provide support to NHS England and local authorities to ensure that as many women as possible can take up their offer of screening.”