Cervical cancer charity calls for greater effort to engage with women about the benefits of cervical screening

On the day Jo’s Trust, the UK’s only dedicated cervical cancer charity, relaunched as Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, it called for greater efforts to engage with women to increase cervical screening uptake.

Robert Music, director of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust said “In 2008-9 the numbers of eligible women undergoing cervical screening increased by just under 400,000, a rise of around 12%. This increase, the first for many years, was attributed to Jade Goody through her public battle with cervical cancer.”

“However, there are concerns that the numbers are coming down and we have got to do everything we can to understand why women don’t attend screening. At the same time we need to be more innovative when looking to persuade women to go for screening by testing different ways of targeting the many ages and groups invited for screening. It is simply not a case of one approach fits all.”

“Only recently Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust ran a pilot project funded by the DoH where our cervical screening advert was placed in 100 GP surgeries in communities where uptake was low. At the end of the project 93% of surgeries said they had seen an increase in the numbers of women asking to be screened and the surgeries also felt there should be more campaigns like this.“

“This was a simple and effective way of increasing awareness, screening numbers and hopefully saving lives. Hopefully others will follow suit”.

“This is why are urging everyone involved with cervical screening to use Cervical Screening Awareness Week (7-13 June) as an opportunity to review their screening awareness programmes in their communities and consider running creative and targeted campaigns which, from our experience, can make a difference to awareness and potential uptake”

-ends-

4th May 2010

NOTES TO EDITORS

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust - www.jostrust.org.uk is the UK’s only dedicated cervical cancer charity offering support, information and friendship for women, families and friends affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities.
Cervical Screening Awareness Week takes place between 7-13 June 2010
Almost 1,000 women die from cervical cancer in the UK each year with 2,800 newly diagnosed.
Since its launch, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme has been highly successful, saving an estimated 4,500 lives every year.
Formerly called Jo’s Trust the charity rebranded on 1st May 2010, with a new charity number, 1133542.

Further information:
For all Jo’s Trust enquiries please contact: Robert Music, Director: 020 7936 7498, 07980 720061, Robert@jostrust.org.uk

Last updated: 04/05/2010