Monday 30 September 2019
From the 1st January 2019, free cervical screening has been available to all women aged between 25 and 65 in Guernsey and Alderney.
The costs of free screening are being covered by the Committee for Health & Social Care.
The aim of this service is to reduce the number of cases, and the lives lost from, cervical cancer. This cervical screening service, together with the HPV vaccination programme, will also help move towards the goal of eliminating cervical cancer in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
The free cervical screening has now been available to women for the past six months and our early analysis has yielded very encouraging results.
Dr Nicola Brink, Director of Public Health said:
"Prior to in introduction of free cervical screening our uptake was 70%, which is below the target of 80% coverage. Since the introduction of free screening we are on course to comfortably exceed the target of 80%. Alongside making the cervical screening programme free, we have also tried to make the service as accessible as possible for women. This free service has been developed as a collaboration between Public Health Services, Primary Care, Choices and the Orchard Centre, enabling women to access a service of their choice"
Dr Abigail Griffiths, a member of the local Cervical Screening Advisory Group and GP at Island Health explained that:
"We have seen a big increase in the uptake of cervical smears since the start of the free cervical screening programme. It is fantastic that the availability of free screening has increased the access for women to this very important screening programme."
Heidi Soulsby, Present of the Committee for Health & Social Care added:
"The Committee is very pleased with the early results we are seeing in this new service. The Partnership of Purpose focuses on prevention and early intervention and our investment in this service is delivering the excellent outcomes that HSC wants for Islanders".
Further information on cervical screening is available from Emily Davies Public Health Practitioner on 707311 or e-mail Emily.davies@gov.gg.
