Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Screening programme aimed at new mums
Cancer prevention
An innovat i ve new programme rai s i n g awareness of cervical screening among new mums has been launched in Airdrie by Cancer Research UK and NHS Lanarkshire.
The charity’s facilitator p ro g ramme and health improvement staff are trialling working with health visitors and midwives to provide them with the necessary knowledge and skills.
Cervical screening aims to prevent cervical cancer from developing by finding and treating abnormal cell changes that could lead to cancer if left untreated.
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in Scotland in women aged under 35 and every year around 100 women across the country sadly die from the disease.
Laura Wilson, a health visitor in Airdrie, has recently been trained as part of the programme.
She said: “I thought I knew about cervical cancer, but the training was really informative and has given me a more indepth knowledge on why cervical screening is so important, and why it’s vital to raise awareness among women to help them understand screening and its benefits.”
She continued: “The leaflets provided will be a great starting point for talking to new mums.
“It’ll be a good ice-breaker to have materials to show them and I think it will help us to break down the barriers for women who are afraid of going for their smear test.”
Dr Jennifer Darnborough, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Lanarkshire, added: “We’re really pleased to be working with Cancer Research UK on this exciting project to raise awareness of cervical cancer and screening in younger women, and we hope it will boost cervical screening uptake in this age group.
“We need to do more to help women understand that the test is about preventing cervical cancer rather than diagnosing it.”