Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of current levels of (a) awareness and (b) accessibility of cervical cancer screening services in the London Borough of Newham.

While there have been no specific surveys to determine the levels of awareness of cervical screening in Newham, national studies have found that the most common reasons women do not attend cervical screening include practical reasons such as forgetting to schedule an appointment and difficulties finding the time to attend; and limited knowledge of the benefits of screening, misconceptions of their personal risk of developing cervical cancer, fear of the result, fear of the discomfort of screening, and embarrassment.

There is evidence that women from ethnic minority groups and for those for whom English is not a first language are less likely to participate in screening.

Within Newham, NHS England is working with the Royal London cytology laboratory to undertake a workforce analysis of sample takers. This will identify any gaps in capacity and inform future workforce planning and provision.

In 2018, NHS England will also commission cervical screening in sexual health clinics across Newham. This will provide better access to screening in addition to that provided within general practice.