Official figures reveal that the proportion of women who came forward to have their cervical checked fell to the lowest level in the initial year of the pandemic.
According to NHS Digital, only seven out of 10 women eligible in England had been screened in the past year for cancerous conditions in the cervix. This is a drop of two percent from the previous year.
Only 3million people aged 25-64 were examined, a drop of 5.3% from the previous year.
A screening was booked by more women in Derbyshire than in Kensington or Chelsea.
Regular smear testing is available for women aged 25-64 under the NHS Cervical Screening Program.
The purpose of this test is to find abnormalities in your cervix. If left untreated they could become cervical cancer.
NHS Digital stated that Covid-related disruptions are ‘likely to’ have caused the decline in female forwarding.
Samantha Dixon is the chief executive officer of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. She said that while the fall is not surprising due to the destruction caused by the pandemic but is worrying because it could lead to even more cancers.
All types of cancer cases have been identified by doctors as a result of the pandemic.
According to the National Audit Office, 60,000 people in England were not expected to begin cancer treatment between March 2020 and September 2021.
The percentage of women who were eligible for cervical screening fell to 70.2 percent in March 2021 from 72.2 percent the previous year. It is the lowest ever recorded figure since 2010 when records were started. The previous lowest uptake, which was 71.4 percent of women who were eligible to come forward in 2018, is now the highest since 2010.
This map illustrates how many women came forward for smear testing in the years to March 2020 and 2021. The coverage levels of all regions were lower than in 2020, and none of the local authorities exceeded 80 percent (shown dark blue). Overall, coverage of 71% (shown above) was reported in 91 areas. This is a decline of 12 points compared to 2020.
Under the NHS Cervical Screening Program, women between 25 to 64 years old are eligible for routine smear checks. It is designed to find abnormalities that may lead to the development of cervical cancer if they are not detected and treated promptly. NHS Digital stated that Covid-related disruptions are ‘likely to’ have contributed to the decline in women coming forward
A screening involves the collection of cells from your cervix with a swab. This is followed by testing in a laboratory to determine if there are any types of HPV (human papillomavirus) which could cause damage to your cells.
If HPV is found in these cases, it should be treated immediately.
According to the NHS Digital report, 4.6 million women received a request letter from NHS Digital asking for a screening appointment.
The percentage of women who were eligible for cervical screening fell to 70.2 percent in March 2021 from 72.2 percent the previous year.
This is the lowest figure recorded in records since 2010. Until this year, the previous lowest uptake was recorded in 2018 when 71.4 per cent of eligible women came forward.
A smear test was performed on 68% of the 25- to 49-year olds, as opposed to 70.2 percent a year ago.
The decline in the number of 50- to 64-year olds was smaller than the 70.2 percent that came forward the year before.
Figures show large disparities between parts of the country. Just 45.8 Percent of women in Kensington & Chelsea are screened. That compares with 78.4 Percent of women in Derbyshire.
The coverage of local authorities was not at 80 percent, and all regions saw a decline in their numbers compared to 2020.
Overall, coverage of 70% and higher was reported in 91 areas of 149, an increase of 12 percent compared with 2020.
With 75.5 percent of the women being screened in the North East, London had 64.7 percentage.
Referrals to colposcopy (a procedure that is performed if abnormal cells are found in a cervical screen) dropped from 191,563 to March 2020 to 176,561 during the 12-month most recently.
Ms Dixon stated that despite the fact that cervical screening coverage has dropped by 2 percent in the past year, it was concerning.
“Our health care system is currently under extreme strain and we are facing long winter.”
We cannot afford to allow coverage to slip any further. It will only result in more cancers we might have prevented.
“In some areas coverage may be lower than one to two, and that should raise alarm bells.”
The figures show that HPV vaccine coverage is improving, but not at the same level as pre-pandemic.
The pandemic caused disruptions in schooling and led to problems with HPV vaccination, which is administered through schools.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency shows that 76.7% of 12-year-old girl HPV test positives received their first dose in 2020/2021. This is compared to 59.2 percent in 2019/20 and 88% for 2018/19.
71% of boys the same age had already received their first dose.
Ms Dixon said: “Today’s data show the impact of another interruption to the HPV vaccine programme, with large disparities across the country.
“Coverage coverage is still much lower than before the pandemic” means many schoolchildren might fall through this gap and lose protection against HPV related cancers.