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Cervical screening coverage falls for second consecutive year

Cervical screening coverage for women aged 25-64 has dropped for the second consecutive year, falling from 73.5% in 2015 and 75.7 % in 2014 to 72.73% this year, new figures have revealed.

Cervical screening coverage for women aged 25-64 has dropped for the second consecutive year, falling from 73.5% in 2015 and 75.7 % in 2014 to 72.73% this year, new figures have revealed.

The figures, released by NHS Digital, show coverage was lowest among women aged 25-49 years – falling from 71.2% in 2015 to 70.2% at 31 March 2016.

Among women aged 50-64 years, coverage was 78% this year, compared to 78.4% last year.

At a regional level, coverage of the full target group (25-64 years) ranged from 66.7% in London to 75.9% in the East Midlands.

NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England in 2015-16 includes statistics on: women aged 25 to 64 who are invited for regular screening; screening samples examined by pathology laboratories; and referrals to colposcopy clinics. The report is used to inform policy and to monitor the quality and effectiveness of screening services.

Cervical screening results must be posted to patients within two weeks of test

The 2015-16 report also shows that:

  • 4.21 million women aged 25-64 were invited for screening in 2015-16. This was a decrease of 2.4% from 2014-15, when 4.31 million women were invited.
  • The number of women tested in the 25-49 age group in 2015-16 was 2.34 million, a fall of 2.5% from 2014-15. However, the number of women tested in the 50-64 age group, in 2015-16, was 0.74 million, representing a rise of 4.1% from 2014-15.
  • Cervical screening departments are expected to ensure that at least 98% of result letters are received by post within two weeks of the test. In 2015-16, 89.1% of letters sent to women tested were reported to have an expected delivery date of within two weeks of the sample being taken. In 2014-15, this measure was 91%.
  • The percentage of results showing a high-grade abnormality decreased with age. It was highest at 3.1% for women aged 25-29, falling to less than 0.5% for women aged 50 to 64.

Read the full report at: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/pubs/cervical1516

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