What is cervical screening?
- Cervical screening, or a smear test, checks the health of your cervix. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina.
- Screenings look for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which can cause abnormal cells on the cervix – It is not a test for cancer it is a test to help prevent cancer.
- All women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 should be invited via letter to book an appointment.
- The first invitation is sent to eligible people at the age of 24.5 years. People aged 25 to 49 receive invitations every 3 years while people aged 50 to 64 are invited every 5 years.
What happens during the screening?
- During a screening appointment a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix.
- This sample is checked for certain types of HPV that can cause changes to these cells – these are known as ‘high risk’ types of HPV.
- If these are not found, you will not need any further tests and will be routinely invited again in 3 or 5 years.
- If these types of HPV are found the sample is then checked for any changes in the cells of your cervix. These can then be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
- Finding high risk HPV early means you can be monitored for abnormal cell changes and these abnormal changes can be treated so they do not get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
- The test itself should take less than 5 minutes and will always be completed by a female nurse. Before the test starts, they will explain exactly what will happen during the test and answer any questions you may have.
- You are always in control during the screening process and can ask the nurse to stop at any time.
- Do not be embarrassed or afraid to talk to the nurse – telling them how you feel will help them to understand the kind of support you might need.
Your results
From September 2025, the NHS will start sending results from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme directly to patients through the NHS App.
What this means for you:
- If your cervical screening result is negative (normal), you will receive a secure message in your NHS App.
- You will also see an NHS App notification.
- If you don’t read the NHS App message within 72 hours, a letter will then be posted to you as a backup.
- If your result is abnormal, you will continue to receive a letter by post for the time being.
From July 2025, younger women (aged 25 to 49) who test negative for HPV, meaning they are at very low risk of cervical cancer over the next 10 years, will safely be invited at 5-year intervals rather than 3, in line with major clinical evidence.
Those whose sample indicates the presence of HPV or who have a recent history of HPV, which causes nearly all cervical cancers, will continue to be invited to more frequent screenings to check HPV has cleared and if not, if any cell changes have developed. The move follows a recommendation by the UK National Screening Committee, and is the approach already used for women aged 50 to 64 in England.