Cervical screening, or smear test, is a method of detecting abnormal (pre-cancerous) cells in the cervix in order to prevent cervical cancer. The cervix is the entrance to the womb from the vagina.
Cervical screening is now recommended every five years for women aged 25 to 49 (from July 2025) and every five years for women aged 50 to 64 or more frequently if smear results indicates abnormal changes.
Cervical screening is not a test for cancer; it is a test to check the health of the cells of the cervix. Most women’s test results show that everything is normal, but for 1 in 20 women the test will show some abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix.
Most of these changes will not lead to cervical cancer and the cells may go back to normal on their own. However, in some cases, the abnormal cells need to be treated to prevent them becoming cancerous.
Our nurses are qualified to carry out cervical screening and tests in the form of cervical smears. In order to have a cervical smear the patient must have received a letter requesting that they have a cervical smear and the appointment must please be made for when the patient is not menstruating.
These appointments typically take around 30 minutes. For any further information or to book an appointment, please call the surgery.
Changes from July 2025
NHS England has announced that from 1 July 2025 all women and people with a cervix of screening age (25-64) will be invited every five years in England, unless they are at a higher risk of cervical cancer because of high-risk Human papillomavirus (HPV) and/or cell changes, when they will be seen more often.
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