A cervical screening checks a sample of cells from the cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) which can cause abnormal changes, and is offered to all women aged 25 to 64. The screening helps save the lives of approximately 4,500 women in England every year on average and is the best way to protect against cervical cancer. However, not all women attend their appointment when invited and screenings dropped significantly over during the pandemic, with more than 400,000 fewer women up to date on their screenings as of December 2020 compared to in December 2019. As such, there are now 4.7 million women in England who need to be screened. Listed are the 13 areas where cervical screening coverage is the lowest.
5. Hammersmith and Fulham
Percentage of eligible women screened: 52.1. Number of eligible women not screened: 37,969 Photo: Shutterstock
6. Tower Hamlets
Percentage of eligible women screened: 52.6. Number of eligible women not screened: 54,666 Photo: Shutterstock
7. Islington
Percentage of eligible women screened: 56.1. Number of eligible women not screened: 40,851 Photo: Shutterstock
8. Brent
Percentage of eligible women screened: 58.2. Number of eligible women not screened: 50,127 Photo: Shutterstock