Smear test screening restarts after Covid break
● Patients able to reschedule appointments in phased NHS restart
Patients who have missed out on cervical screening appointments due to the Covid-19 lockdown are now able to reschedule them, the Scottish Government has announced
The programme, which provides routine screening for women across the country, was temporarily paused during the pandemic, but the government has outlined a phased restart as part of a wider remobilisation of NHS services.
From yesterday, anyone who was invited for cervical screening, but who had yet to make an appointment, or had one cancelled, will be able to contact their GP to reschedule.
Appointment invitations and reminders will be posted out from the middle of next month, with invitations sent first to those who receive more frequent non-routine cervical screening appointments, such
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust CEO as women whose results have shown changes that require further investigation.
Routine screening on a wider scale will recommence once NHS Scotland has caught up with non-routine appointments affected by the pause.
Health secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Pausing the adult national screening programmes was one of a series of difficult decisions we have had to make in responding to the impact of Covid-19.
“The programmes were temporarily paused on 30 March in order to reduce the risk of patients becoming infected with the virus, to enable physical distancing and minimise the impact on essential NHS services as they responded to Covid-19.” Ms Freeman said the resumption of screening programmes was based on expert clinical advice and the recommendations of the Scottish Screening Committee. The steps have also been discussed and agreed with health board chief executives as part of the planned safe and incremental remobilisation of NHS Scotland.
Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, the UK’S leading cervical cancer charity, said: “We have seen a growing level of anxiety and confusion due to cancelled appointments, so we are pleased that access to this lifesaving test is restarting. Cervical screening is not always easy, and many people have new questions and concerns about the test and how it all works now. We don’t want Covid-19 to make cervical screening harder.”
“We have seen a growing level of anxiety and confusion due to cancelled appointments, so we are pleased”
ROBERT MUSIC