Today the Department of Health and Social Care has announced that, as part of the 10 Year Health Plan, HPV self-sampling kits will be offered to women and people with a cervix who have missed their cervical screening.
The main trial for HPV self-sampling, YouScreen, was conducted in north and east London in 2021, after a long and complex planning process to ensure that the research was well-designed and appropriate for the target audience.
Dr Clare Stephens GP, Co-clinical Director, North Central London Cancer Alliance says:
“We were delighted with the uptake of the self-sampling kit during the YouScreen research period. The results proved that HPV self-sampling could make a real difference for people who, for various reasons, have found having a cervical screening appointment difficult or traumatic. It also helps to address health inequalities – in the YouScreen trial 64% of returned samples were from minority ethnic groups and 60% from deprived populations.
“Our aim in North Central London, as it is across the country, is to ensure that there is a significant increase in the number of people being regularly screened to prevent the development of cervical cancer. This will help us achieve the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.”
Read more about the YouScreen research on using HPV self-sampling