New programme improves access to cervical cancer screening in Wolverhampton

The City of Wolverhampton Council's Public Health team is working with all Primary Care Networks across the city in a bid to improve cervical cancer screening uptake.

The new programme will offer eligible residents more flexible appointments including evening and weekend clinics, alongside targeted activity reaching out to people who have not booked, or who have missed, appointments. Practices will proactively contact patients to discuss concerns, tackle myths and provide reassurance about cervical screening. The programme will also use text messaging and simpler booking processes to make it even easier for residents to attend.

Councillor Obaida Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Community, said: "Two women die every day from cervical cancer in England, yet it is one of the most preventable cancers – and attending screening, along with vaccination, can help prevent it before it starts, or enable earlier treatment.

"Cervical screening rates in Wolverhampton are currently below the national average, and this initiative will help increase awareness, improve access, and support more people to take up screening when it is due."

Among the settings taking part in the programme is Pennfields Medical Centre. Kam Ahmed, Clinical Director for Unity Primary Care Ltd, said: “We know that many patients face barriers to attending cervical screening, whether that is work commitments, caring responsibilities or anxiety about the test itself.

“By offering evening and weekend clinics and taking the time to have supportive, reassuring conversations, we are making screening more accessible and less daunting. Working in partnership with the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Public Health team means we can reach more people and help protect the long-term health of our community.”

Cervical screening looks for abnormal cell changes which can be treated before they become cancerous. It is estimated that cervical screening prevents 70% of cervical cancer deaths in England, and that if everyone attended screening regularly, 83% of cervical cancer deaths could be prevented.

Women and people with a cervix aged 25-64 are invited for screening through their GP every five years. Trans men and non-binary people with a cervix may not automatically receive a screening invitation and therefore should contact their GP or Wolverhampton's sexual health service, Embrace, directly.

Cervical cancer may not cause noticeable symptoms in its early stages, but as the disease progresses, common symptoms include unusual vaginal bleeding, like after sex, between periods, or after menopause; changes in vaginal discharge; and pelvic pain. Advanced cervical cancer may also cause symptoms like back pain, leg swelling, or problems with urination or bowel movements. For more information about cervical screening, please visit nhs.uk/cervicalscreening

The HPV vaccine provides protection against human papillomavirus, which is linked to an increased risk of getting some cancers including cervical cancer. Children aged 12-13 are eligible to receive the vaccine in school or at community clinics, while high risk groups including men aged 45 and under who have sex with men are eligible via Wolverhampton’s Sexual Health Service Embrace.

If someone missed the HPV vaccine when it was offered at school, they can still receive it for free on the NHS. The vaccine is available to women aged 24 and under, up to their 25th birthday, and to men born after 1 September 2006, also up to their 25th birthday.

For more information about the HPV vaccination, please visit nhs.uk/vaccinations/hpv-vaccine