Charity calls for more to be done as test which could mean the difference between life and death is increasingly ignored

A test which could mean the difference between life and death and which only takes a few minutes is being ignored by increasing numbers of women, says a leading charity in national Cervical Screening Awareness Week (6-12 June).

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust warns that cervical cancer can be prevented and around 5,000 lives are saved every year by the national screening programme but more needs to be done to help women protect themselves against a disease that sees one woman in the UK diagnosed every three hours and which claims three lives each day.

The ‘Jade Goody effect’, which saw cervical screening rates rise for the first time in almost a decade, has not been maintained. One in five UK women do not attend their screening appointment.

Robert Music, Director of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, the only UK charity dedicated to women and those close to them affected by cervical abnormalities said: “We saw a surge in women going for screening after Jade Goody died. Sadly that hasn’t been sustained. I am concerned that there is a worrying downward trend with thousands of women ignoring their screening invitation.

“Of course we are urging women not to ignore that invitation from their GP but so much more needs to be done to make women aware of just how important this screening is and, crucially, to make it easier for women to get to that appointment.

“According to the results of a survey* conducted for us by YouGov, a lack of flexibility by employers and GPs could be putting women at risk.

“For a significant number of women taking part in the poll a lack of appointment choice at surgeries and difficulty taking time off work is a factor in them delaying or even missing this vital test.

“When you consider that approaching 14 million women in the UK are in full or part-time
employment the potential impact employers’ and GPs’ lack of flexibility could be having on women’s health is huge.

“It is also worrying to see that almost a third of the age group of women least likely to respond to their screening invitation – 25-34, and indeed who said they had delayed or missed an appointment, booked holiday to attend screening because they were too embarrassed to talk to their employers.

“And GP surgeries undeniably have a key role to play in boosting screening uptake. Women’s’ responses make it clear that evening and weekend appointments would make a significant difference to what action they would take when receiving their invitation.

“Giving a woman just a couple of hours off work every three years or five years or simply offering her an appointment outside normal surgery hours could mean the difference between life and death.
“This is a largely preventable disease and screening has a massive part to play in that.”

Further information

*Key findings from the survey include:
• Over a third of women of screening age* that work (39%) and have missed or delayed appointments said they didn’t find it easy to leave work in order to attend cervical screening appointments and more than a quarter (26%) admitted they would be more encouraged to attend if their company was more flexible and they didn’t have to take holiday for an appointment.
• Only 16% of women of screening age* that have missed or delayed appointments agreed that their GP surgery offers screening appointments in the evenings or on weekends which has made it easier to attend a screening.
• Almost one in three (30%) women aged 25-34 that have missed or delayed appointments and work said they always book holidays to attend appointments because they were too embarrassed to talk to their employers
• Almost a third (29%) of women of screening age* who missed or delayed a screening appointment said it is hard to book an appointment for cervical screening at a convenient time.
• Of women of screening age* who had missed or delayed appointments, 35% agreed that if GP surgery opening times had been more flexible it would have encouraged them or even ensured they attended those appointments.

1. Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust – (www.jostrust.org.uk). For the charity's national helpline call 0808 802 8000
2. Over 300,000 women a year are told they may have a cervical abnormality that could require treatment.
3. If HPV vaccination take up continues to reach at least 80% it is believed this could result in a 2/3rds reduction in incidence in women under 30 by 2025.
4. 32% of women that took part in the survey have missed or delayed a cervical screening appointment.
5. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2718 women of which 2467 were of screening age (*Women aged 20+ in Scotland and Wales and 25+ in England and Northern Ireland). Fieldwork was undertaken between 7th to 10th January 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK Women (aged 18+).