Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet it leads to approximately 685 deaths a year in England.

Most cervical cancers occur in those who have never accessed cervical screening or do not attend for regular screening.

In the South East, there is a low uptake of cervical screening among many individuals aged 25-29 who are registered with a GP. In some surgeries, uptake is as low as 40%.

In fact, the rates of screening across all age groups in the South East are below the NHS England target of 80%.

Next page: The NHS Cervical Screening Programme