Share your views on cervical cancer screening

Women registered with a GP are invited for cervical screenings, also known as smear tests, and Healthwatch Lancashire are looking to listen to the views and experiences from people in Lancashire of having these tests and any barriers they face which affect their decisions to undertake the screenings.

The results of the anonymous survey will be shared with NHS England to provide insight on how the NHS Cervical Screening Programme can reach more people across Lancashire.

According to NHS England, since the screening programme was introduced in the 1980s, the number of cervical cancer cases has decreased by about 7% each year.

NHS England state that around 3,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK and is the most common cancer in women aged 35 and under.

Women aged 25 to 49 are invited to screenings every three years, women aged 50 to 64 are invited every five years and women over 65 are only invited if they haven’t been screened since the age of 50 or if they have recently had abnormal tests.

Healthwatch Lancashire are looking for women to complete a short survey about their views on the importance of the screenings, any experiences they have had along with what they feel the barriers women face when attending appointments. The survey should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete.

Men can also share their experiences of female friends, family members and relatives undertaking cervical cancer screenings by taking the survey.

To undertake the short survey visit http://healthwatchlancashire.co.uk/news/share-your-views-on-cervical-cancer-screening/.