NHS Cervical Screening 2009 Review

Published 2009 | ISBN 978 1 84463 065 3

This year has been an incredibly busy one for the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, both in terms of public awareness and for healthcare professionals on the ground. In this year's annual review we look at the major events of 2009 and how they have shaped the Programme.

The dominant event of this year was the terminal illness and death of the reality TV star Jade Goody. This brought an increased uptake of over 12 per cent and a doubling of tests going through laboratories in March. We were very pleased to see that many of the women screened were in the 25 to 49 year old age group – many had never been screened before or were women who had not been for a long time.

The annual review looks at how the media coverage of Jade Goody’s tragic death increased uptake of cervical screening, particularly among younger women. We also look at other major events in 2009 and how they have affected the Programme. Underlying all this, we are working towards ensuring all women get the results of their screening test within 14 days by 2010.

Order printed publications