Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address the number of cervical smear tests delayed following the covid-19 outbreak.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are aware that in some areas, providers of NHS Cervical Screening Programme services have, for operational reasons and to minimise risk to patients during the coronavirus pandemic, rescheduled invitations or appointments to a later date. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with service providers to reschedule screening invitations as soon as possible, whilst ensuring this is managed safely for patients and staff.

General practitioners are reviewing their records to identify individuals who were unable to have a cervical screening appointment during the response to the pandemic and are now inviting those individuals to attend.