The NHS is calling on those who are eligible to book their life-saving cervical screening appointments, as official figures show in this region almost 3 in 10 eligible women aged under 50 have not yet come forward, while just under a quarter of women aged 50 and above are not up to date.

The call comes as cervical cancer charity, Jo’s Trust, launches its annual Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, which runs until Sunday (29 January), to raise awareness of cervical cancer and drive uptake in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme.

Around 2,700 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer in England each year and approximately 690 die from the disease – around two deaths every day. The NHS Cervical Screening Programme helps save thousands of lives every year and those invited are being encouraged to ensure they attend their screening.

In 2021/22 the NHS sent out more screening invitations than ever before – more than 5 million – and 3.5 million people came forward for testing.

Dr Jonathan Slade, Medical Director (System Improvement and Professional Standards) for the North East and Yorkshire, said:

“Screening helps prevent cervical cancer by using a highly effective test to check for high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is found in over 99% of all cervical cancers and which may cause abnormal cells to develop in the cervix. These cells can, over time, turn into cancer if left untreated.

“Having HPV does not mean someone has or will develop cervical cancer. It is a common virus that most people have at some point in their life without knowing it, which usually goes away on its own. If cell changes are identified early cervical cancer can be prevented from developing.”

The NHS also offers the HPV vaccination to all children aged 12 and 13 years at school in Year 8, up until school leaving age, with numerous catch-up opportunities provided by School Aged Vaccination Teams. GP practices also offer vaccination for those who may have missed it in school, from age 14 up until 25.

HPV vaccination protects against the most common types of HPV, but it is still important to attend a cervical screening appointment when invited because the HPV vaccine does not protect against all strains of HPV. Cervical screening is available by appointment at local GP practices and at some local sexual health services.

Dr Slade added: “Some people may feel worried or embarrassed about the screening itself, but your clinician at your GP practice or sexual health service will help you feel at ease and treat you with dignity when carrying out this important check.”

Dr Kiren Collison, GP and Interim Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS England, said:

“If you have received an invitation for cervical screening, or missed your last screening, please don’t wait to make an appointment. I know life is busy, but screening really does save lives – please put your health at the top of your to-do list and book that appointment with your GP practice or sexual health clinic today. It might just save your life.

“Through cervical screening and treating cell changes, as well as the HPV vaccination, we hope to prevent cervical cancer from ever developing and ultimately eradicate it altogether in the future.”

For more information on Cervical Cancer Screening please visit Cervical screening – NHS (www.nhs.uk)