Home cancer tests to help more Bedfordshire women get screened

Around 8000 women aged between 30 and 65 across Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Houghton Regis and surrounding areas who have not taken up invitations to cervical screening appointments will be able to take a simple test at home instead.

Alex Mayer MP has welcomed the plan as a “real lifesaver.”

The free kits contain a swab to use at home and post back to the NHS.

If the test finds cause for concern the woman will be invited for a follow-up appointment at their GP surgery or sexual health clinic, where a nurse or doctor will take a sample from the cervix to check for cell changes.

Figures for Bedfordshire show cervical screening coverage below the NHS’s 80% target at 74% among women aged 50 to 64 dropping to 65% among those aged 25 to 49.

Invitations will be sent through the NHS App, text message, email or letter. Once invited, women will be able to order a kit free of charge.

Alex Mayer MP said: “We know cervical screening saves lives, so this makes a lot of sense.”

The NHS says screening with a clinician remains the best way to help prevent cervical cancer, and women who normally attend appointments should continue to do so.

The NHS aims to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2040.