- Millions of women in the UK who have missed cervical screening appointments will be offered free at-home self-testing kits by the NHS.
- Over the next year, nearly four million eligible women aged 30 to 65 will receive invitations via letter, text, email or the NHS app to order a kit.
- The self-testing kit allows users to collect a vaginal swab at home, which is sent to NHS laboratories free of charge to test for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV).
- If high-risk HPV is detected from the sample, patients will be asked to attend a clinician for a standard cervical screening appointment.
- The initiative aims to boost uptake from the current 68.8 per cent to the NHS target of 80 per cent, potentially preventing up to 1,000 cases of cervical cancer annually.
IN FULL
