THOUSANDS MISS SMEAR TESTS
Quarter of city women could be risking their lives:
More than 18,000 women in Sunderland did not attend their last smear test, new NHS figures show.
The take-up rate for cervical screenings in Sunderland has fallen over the last year.
Only 75.4% of the 73,200 women who were due a smear test before the end of March attended an appointment.
This means about 18,030 women missed out on the ‘life-saving’ programme.
Cancer charities have said the “plummeting” attendance rate in England is enormously worrying.
Cervical screening is a test that looks for changes in the cells of the cervix which could develop into cancer.
Women aged between 25 and 49 are invited for a screening every three years, while those aged 50 to 64 attend every five years.
If they do not have a test within six months of their latest invitation they are counted as not having attended.
In Sunderland, the younger age group were significantly less likely to be up to date with their tests.
Just 74.3% of 25 to 40-year-olds had attended their last appointment before the end of March compared to 77.1% of 50 to 64-year-olds.
Attendance across England has fallen for the fourth year in a row, reaching 71.4% last year.
Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said women are finding it increasingly difficult to access appointments.
He said: “Women in England are frankly being let down.
“Many struggle to get screening appointments at their GP, access through sexual health is declining, and there is limited provision for those requiring extra support including survivors of sexual violence or those with a learning disability.
“We cannot sit back and let cervical screening coverage continue to plummet.”
“Women in England are being frankly let down” ROBERT MUSIC