Women not up to date with cervical screening
Women are being urged to come forward for cervical screening as new figures show more than five million are not up to date with their routine check-ups. The NHS invites women for screening every three to five years depending on their age, or more frequently if the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is detected, with the programme saving thousands of lives annually. The NHS Cervical Screening Programme, England 2023-2024 annual report, published by NHS England, found that 68.8% of 25 to 64-year-olds were screened within the recommended period of time, compared to 68.7% the previous year. Coverage was higher for 50 to 64-year-olds at 74.3% compared with 25 to 49-year-olds at 66.1%.