Most women support the rollout of at-home cervical screening to overcome the embarrassment of having the intimate test in a clinic, a study has revealed.
The NHS offers cervical screening tests – previously known as smear tests – to all women aged 25 to 64 every three years. But almost a third of eligible women in England did not take up the offer in 2023, with many citing a lack of time or worries about discomfort and embarrassment.
The test involves using a vaginal swab – similar to a long cotton bud – to take a sample of cells in the cervix.
It is usually performed at a GP practice and looks for traces of human papillomavirus (HPV) – a virus linked to cervical cancer, of which there are 3,300 new cases in the UK each year.
Healthwatch England is now calling for NHS officials to offer DIY kits to those who would prefer it, pending ongoing reviews of the tests.
Women want cervical screening to be done at home to avoid the embarassment of having intimate tests at clinics (file image)
Almost a third of women eligible for NHS cervical screening tests did not take them up in 2023, with lack of time and concerns over discomfort and embarrassment among reasons given
The patient watchdog said its poll of 2,400 women found 73 per cent supported at-home tests if they were made available for free on the NHS.
Healthwatch England commissioned a poll of women in England aged 24 to 64 who had indicated they were hesitant about taking up their next screening offer. Participants indicated that home testing would offer more privacy, avoid discomfort and could be done at a convenient time.
But they did express some disadvantages, including concerns over accuracy and the inability to ask a medical professional if the test was being performed correctly.
In a trial, led by King’s College London and NHS England, the patient uses a vaginal swab to take their own sample, either at home or at the GP practice. The swab is then posted to a lab for testing. Women found to have HPV were then invited for further tests by a clinician.
Previous analysis suggests that offering self-sampling kits to ‘under-screened’ women when they visit their GP could boost uptake by about 400,000 in England every year (file image)
A trial involved patients taking their own swab either at home or at a GP practice, with women found to have HPV invited for further tests by a clinician (file image)
Previous analysis suggests that offering self-sampling kits to ‘under-screened’ women when they visit their GP, or by posting kits to their homes, could boost uptake in England by about 400,000 each year.
NHS England is now exploring how HPV self-screening could be rolled out more widely. A spokesman said: ‘These findings add to growing evidence suggesting self-testing could have a positive impact in supporting more women to take part in cervical screening.’
Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said: ‘Women’s voices must drive improvements to cervical screening and NHS England’s ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. The support for free HPV home-testing represents a major opportunity to increase uptake of screening.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘It’s crucial that access to screening is made as simple and convenient as possible. We are working to explore the potential of self-sampling.’
