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Cervical Screening
Booking an appointment
Please book an appointment with the nurse if you are due your cervical screening test – also known as a smear test.
You can book up to 3 months early if you are on a 3 year or 5 year recall, or 6 weeks early if you are on a 12 month recall.
If you are pregnant, had a miscarriage or abortion and you are due your smear test, please wait until 12 weeks to have this test.
If you have had a smear test abroad, please allow a 12 week gap until your smear test with us and bring in a copy of the results.
You can request for a double appointment to allow for extra time if needed. For example, if you need an interpreter, have mobility or communisation issues or very anxious about the procedure.
If you are due, we will send a self-booking link via SMS. Otherwise call reception on 020 8205 6798.
Receiving your results
Results of your cervical screening will be sent to you in a letter by post in about 2-4 weeks’ time. If you have not received your results, please contact the practice nurse. If you do not wish to receive a letter with your results, you can let the nurse know at your appointment.
It is important you check that we have your up-to-date address and contact number.
Why cervical screening is important
NHS cervical screening helps prevent cervical cancer. It saves thousands of lives from cervical cancer each year in the UK. In England cervical screening currently prevents 70% of cervical cancer deaths. If everyone attended screening regularly, 83% could be prevented.
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Who we invite
Cervical screening is for women and people with a cervix. We offer screening every 3 years from age 25 to 49 and every 5 years from age 50 to 64. This is because most cervical cancers develop between these ages. First invitations arrive a few months before people turn 25. You can book your appointment as soon as you get your invitation. We invite some people more often due to a previous screening result.
You should consider having screening regardless of your sexual orientation, sexual history, or whether you have had the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.
“NHS cervical screening – Helping you decide” information leaflet
Useful information to help you understand your result
Information | Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust (jostrust.org.uk)
Cervical screening results – NHS – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
If you have been referred to colposcopy “Cervical screening: having a colposcopy” information leaflet
If your results show that you will need colposcopy follow up, please wait for the appointment letter. If you have not heard anything after 6 weeks, please contact the practice nurse. If you are unable to attend the appointment and need to reschedule, please contact the colposcopy team. Please do not miss the appointment otherwise you will be automatically discharged.
Deferring screening
You may wish to defer your screening invitation if appropriate for period of 6, 12 or 18 months. Please book a telephone call with the nurse who can discuss this with you and complete the appropriate form.
Withdrawing from the programme
If you wish to withdraw from the programme completely, this means that you will no longer be invited for the cervical screening test. You must have read the “NHS cervical screening – Helping you decide” information leaflet (above) and understood the benefits and disadvantages of cervical screening and the importance of screening in reducing deaths from cervical cancer. Please book a telephone call with the nurse who can discuss this with you and complete the appropriate form. If you have withdrawn from the programme and later change your mind, please book an appointment with the nurse who can do the smear test for you which will re-instate you onto the programme.
