How does the CervicalCheck system work?

SINCE its launch in 2008, the CervicalCheck programme has screened almost 80% of women in the target population of those aged between 25 and 60 years.

According to the most recent figures released by the National Cervical Screening Programme for 2015-2016, CervicalCheck recorded the highest number of women undergoing the test since it first began.

The report showed that in the five years prior to 2016, the service screened 79.95% of almost 1.2 million women eligible for the test.

Women between the ages of 25 and 60 can register for a free smear test, and will be sent an invitation by letter from CervicalCheck.

However, an appointment can still be made with a registered GP practice or clinic even if an invitation has not been received.

The smear tests can be done in any GP clinic or medical centre that has a doctor or nurse registered with CervicalCheck.

There are currently more than 4,500 doctors and nurses on the register, working in GP practices, Family Planning Clinics and Well Woman Clinics across the country.

When the clinical result of the smear test is confirmed in the laboratory, it is then sent to the patient’s doctor along with a recommendation of what steps should be taken next. The woman also receives a letter from CervicalCheck telling her that her result is available from the doctor or nurses who took the smear test. After speaking to her GP, CervicalCheck will recommend to the woman what to do next.

According to the CervicalCheck website, there is ‘no additional health benefit’ in starting screening for women under the age of 25, as while minor changes in the cervix are common, ‘invasive cancer is extremely rare’ among women under this age.

It states that population-based screening for women under 25 could lead to women receiving ‘unnecessary treatment for lesions’ that would never have developed into invasive cancer.