Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure that 25-30 year old women attend their smear test appointments.

Public Health England (PHE) is working with commissioners and providers to encourage women, including those aged 25 to 30, to attend their smear test appointment. Methods for prompting women who are overdue or who have never attended a smear test appointment include reminder letters, text reminders, postcards and telephoning women directly.

In August 2018, PHE published ‘Cervical Screening: ideas for helping to improve uptake’. The guidance is available to view at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-coverage-and-data/cervical-screening-ideas-for-improving-access-and-uptake