Cervical Screening Awareness Week (20-26 June) is championed by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and raises the profile of cervical screening by sharing tips and experiences for those who find accessing screening appointments difficult.

The NHS is very aware that every individual’s circumstances are different when accessing screening services and not everyone finds it straightforward. Therefore, to help anyone who is affected by anxiety or finds it difficult to attend their cervical screening (smear test), information and support about how to plan for your cervical screening appointments can be found here.

Cervical screening helps prevent cervical cancer by checking for high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which causes nearly all cervical cancers. This is a more sensitive and accurate test than the previous method. It means cervical cell abnormalities can be treated. If left untreated, these cells could develop into cancer.

We are also committed to ensuring that staff are well informed of the barriers to cervical screening and how to support anyone accessing services. More information is here.

For more information about Cervical Screening, please check out our Cancer Matters Wessex website