Every eligible woman and person with a cervix should have the opportunity to attend cervical screening. Join the campaign to make that happen.
We want:
Every woman to understand why the test is important
Every eligible woman to be able to attend
To encourage action to make the test more accessible
Barriers to cervical screening can make it difficult to attend
We know attending is not always easy and some people find it difficult for many reasons.
During Cervical Screening Awareness Week we will be addressing some of the different barriers and talking about how cervical screening can be made easier for more women and people with a cervix to attend.From struggling to book an appointment to feeling unsure or anxious, or not understanding why it is important, we want every woman to know where they can find support and tips.
Cervical Screening Awareness Week (CSAW) 2018 ran from Monday 11 – Sunday 17 June 2018. Cervical screening prevents 75% of cervical cancers from developing yet one in four women don’t attend.We wanted to increase awareness and make it easier for everyone to take up their smear test invitation.Computer says "no"There are many reasons which make it difficult for some women and people with a cervix to attend cervical screening, yet more and more are telling us that they are struggling to get an appointment.
Launched this week, our new report ‘Computer says “no”' looks at the growing issue of access to cervical screening across the UK, the problems and how they can be overcome. For some women, including those with a physical disability or who have experienced sexual violence, it can be particularly difficult to attend an appointment.We’re calling for increased availability of appointments at GP practices and greater availability in sexual health services as well as the introduction of self-sampling which could make getting tested easier for many women. Read the full report and our recommendations here.How to get involvedJoin the conversationHelp us reach as many people as possible to highlight how important cervical screening is in protecting against cervical cancer by joining the conversation on social media. Together we can make sure everyone with a cervix knows #SmearTestsSaveLives and address the difficulties some people face.Use the hashtag #SmearTestsSaveLives to share with your loved ones the importance of smear tests in preventing cervical cancer and share your experiences.Other ways to raise awareness:Hold an awareness stall at your surgery, workplace or sports centre.Organise your own fundraising event to help us continue our work to make cervical screening accessible for anyone with a cervix. Tell your story to help us spread the word about cervical cancer and prevention.