There has been a drop in the number of eligible women being screened for cervical cancer, according to the latest NHS data. Local London Assembly Member, Jennette Arnold, has described this as “a worrying move in the wrong direction.” She also said it was “further evidence that the NHS needs to be allocated more resources to effectively engage with women across our community.” Her remarks coincide with Cervical Screening Awareness Week, which runs from Monday 11th to Sunday 17th June.
Cervical screening looks for abnormal cells in the cervix that can develop into cancer.
The most recent statistics, which cover the period of March 2016 - March 2017, show that in Hackney, there was a 1.2% decrease in the number of eligible women aged 25-64 years who were adequately screened, compared to the previous year. The screening rates for Islington and Waltham Forest declined by 1.7% and 0.2% respectively.
This reflects the national trend, in which there has been a 0.7% reduction in screening coverage, down to 72%. The fall in coverage comes despite an increase in the number of women, totalling 4.45 million, invited to undertake a screening.
London has the lowest average rate of coverage in the country with only two thirds of eligible women having gone through the screening programme between 2016 and 2017. Assembly Member Arnold said she was backing calls for the Mayor of London to consider how to further promote awareness of cervical screening in the capital.
Local London Assembly Member Jennette Arnold AM said:
“Cervical screenings save lives and it’s clear that more must be done to encourage all eligible women to undertake them.
“It might be that the downward trend we are seeing in our local community, and across the capital, is due to our increasingly transient population, with less Londoners registering with a GP.
“With the level of take up in London lagging behind the national average, it’s vital the Mayor takes action to address this serious health inequality. That’s why I’m backing calls for Sadiq Khan to look into how we can promote awareness of cervical screening in the capital.
“The Government must also do their part by looking at how screenings can be made more accessible and ensuring that adequate resources are in place to enable the NHS to reach more women.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The most recent data, obtained from the NHS, which covers the period of 31st March 2016 - 31st March 2017, shows that there was a fall in the number of eligible women aged 25-64 years, who were adequately screened in Hackney (1.2%), Islington (1.7%) and Waltham Forest (0.2%) compared to the previous year. The borough-by-borough breakdown of the data is available upon request;
- On a national level there has been a 0.7% reduction in screenings amongst this group, from 72.7% to 72%;
- As a region, London has the lowest average rate of coverage in the country with 65.7% of eligible women having gone through the screening programme between 2016 and 2017;
- Information about Cervical Screening Awareness Week can be found here;
- Labour London Assembly Spokesperson for Health, Onkar Sahota AM, has written to the Mayor of London to ask about his plans to promote awareness of cervical screening in the capital.
- Jennette Arnold AM is the London Assembly Member for Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest.
For more information please contact London Assembly Labour Group press officer, Tim Picton.