June 2025

To all those involved in the cervical screening programme.

You may have already heard but to confirm, Ashley Dalton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, has announced the implementation of a 5-year screening interval for participants aged 25 to 49 years who are high-risk HPV negative at their routine cervical screening test. This change will take effect for any cervical screening samples taken on or after 1^st July 2025.

A system letter has been issued today outlining the change, several documents are uploaded to the FutureNHS platform that will support commissioners and programme providers to prepare for the change to the longer interval. These are:

• NHS Cervical Screening Programme Extended Screening Intervals System Letter
• NHS Cervical Screening Programme Extended Screening Intervals Toolkit and FAQs
• NHS Cervical Screening Programme Extended Screening Intervals (ESI) Implementation Guidance for Commissioners
• Clinical Pathway Protocol – following the implementation of a 5-year screening interval for people aged 24.5 to 49 years
• Updated NHS Cervical Screening Programme Service Specifications

NHS Cervical Screening Programme digital invitations 

Following the previous update in May on the rollout of digital invitations for the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, testing has gone well and we expect to update further on go live in the coming weeks.

A reminder that the first stage of rollout will initially be digital invitations (not results at this stage) using the NHS app and text messages. Anyone that doesn’t read the NHS app message or where an SMS (text) can’t be delivered (including where people don’t have a recorded mobile phone), a letter will be sent as a failsafe. All invites will still direct people to book in the usual way.

In the meantime, we would be grateful for your continued support in encouraging your patients to download the NHS app and turn on notifications: www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/

The goal is to make screening invitations more convenient, quicker, and cost-effective. This is a step toward a more accessible, agile, and participant-focused service. More detailed information about the wider rollout, following testing, will follow.

For further information, please contact: england.digitalscreening@nhs.net.

Cervical Screening support session 14.5.25

Thank you to Eve Appeal for presenting at the Cervical Screening support session on 14 May 2025 and thank you to those that could join us virtually.

The slides for the session can be accessed here

The certificate of attendance and feedback form are also live.

The Collated Q&A document from previous sessions is now available. Please be aware that Guidance does update frequently and always refer to the most up to date links, as some of the questions within this document date back to 2023.

Cervical screening opt-in process for transgender and non-binary people

The new opt-in process for transgender and non-binary people to receive automatic routine invitations is now live. GP practice managers and screening providers, including sexual health clinics and transgender services, should now begin to identify and invite eligible participants for a consultation to discuss the opt-in.

A guide outlining the process to be followed, and a recording of the recent NHS England webinar which describes the opt-in can be accessed on FutureNHS (login required).

Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan

Last week NHSE published the Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England, which sets out how the NHS will improve equitable uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening to take us towards eliminating cervical cancer by 2040.

The report outlines how we will build on what is already working well to drive vaccination and screening uptake and coverage, focussing on 5 cross-cutting themes: increasing access, raising awareness, reducing inequalities, improving digital capabilities and strengthening workforce capacity.

Former NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “Eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 is a momentous and world-leading ambition for the NHS, so I’m incredibly proud that we’re setting out a blueprint to make this a reality and save thousands of women’s lives.”

LGBTQ Webinar

The recording for the LGBTQ webinar and further resources can be accessed here

An NHS Futures account is needed to access the information.