With cervical screening in Wales at its lowest for 10 years, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to make screening more accessible to all women in Wales.
Mr Isherwood, who is supporting Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust’s call for action to increase cervical screening uptake rates, raised the matter in the Assembly Chamber during this week’s Business Statement.
He said:
“I call for a Statement on cervical cancer, recognising that last week was Cervical Cancer Prevention Week. It was highlighting that, although cervical cancer is largely preventable, the number of women being diagnosed in Wales is worryingly high, and the number attending cervical screening at its lowest for 10 years. More than one in five women are now delaying or not attending this potentially life-saving test.
“We therefore need a Statement outlining what steps are being taken to increase cervical screening coverage in Wales, what discussions have taken place about plans to increase cervical screening coverage amongst women from disadvantaged backgrounds, women with learning disabilities, and black and minority ethnic women; what steps are being taken to make cervical screening more accessible in order to increase coverage; whether cervical screening is available to all women at contraception and sexual health clinics; and whether the Welsh Government plans to roll out an awareness campaign to improve cervical screening coverage. I hope the Welsh Government will respond favourably to this request.”
The Leader of the House, Jane Hutt AM, replied
“I’m sure the Member will welcome the announcement by the Minister for Social Services and Public Health that, in future, women will be screened for the main cause of cervical cancer instead - the high-risk human papilloma virus, HRHPV. Under those new arrangements, women will continue to receive what is commonly known as a smear test, but the sample will then be tested for HRHPV.
“Yes, the number of women invited for screening has declined as a result of changes in the age range, and in frequency of invitation, which was introduced in 2013, when we stopped inviting women aged 20-25. But we, of course, now need to recognise that we’re going to be implementing better and more user-friendly testing for both cervical cancer screening and, indeed, for bowel cancer screening. The test for HPV is more sensitive and it will allow the NHS to identify those requiring treatment more effectively. So, a pilot programme reaching around 20 per cent of women will roll out across Wales from April of this year, and a full roll-out is expected to start next year, 2018-19.”
Mr Isherwood added: “Questions remain unanswered about how the Welsh Government will engage with the groups least likely to come forward in order to improve the numbers attending cervical screening”.