Health professionals from NHS England are urging women in Bath to have the cervical screening test as statistics show the uptake of invitations to screening has been low.
In the UK, around 20% of women still do not attend their cervical screening appointment. As part of Cervical Screening Awareness Week, NHS England is supporting raising awareness of the importance of attending a screening invitation.
Hair and Beauty Salons across the area are supporting the screening campaign and are displaying posters and encouraging women to make cervical screening their next appointment.
Dr Ardiana Gjini, Consultant in Public Health Lead for cervical screening NHS England (Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire) said:
“We know women lead busier lives than ever, with work and family pressures, but it would be a tragedy to see a rise in cancer deaths because of this.
“The number of women responding to their screening invite has been low especially for women younger than 35. Worryingly it is also these women in their 30s who have the highest rates of cervical cancer.
“Women can rest assured that the quality of our local NHS screening programme is of very high quality. I would like to encourage all women who are considering screening to take up the offer”.
All women aged between 25 and 64 are invited for cervical screening as part of the NHS cervical screening programme.
Regular screening looks at any changes in the cells of the cervix, so that abnormalities can be identified at an early stage and, if necessary, treated to stop cancer developing.
It is estimated that early detection and treatment can prevent up to 75% of cervical cancers.
About 3,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK; this number is low because of the success of cervical screening on the prevention of cervical cancer developing, and amounts to 2% of all cancers diagnosed in women.
