Cervical screening uptake
Updated 25 May 2022
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/be-clear-on-cancer-first-national-cervical-screening-saves-lives-campaign/cervical-screening-uptake
This is one of a series of summaries produced for the campaign, each focusing on a different evaluation measure (referred to as a metric) which reflects a key point in the patient pathway. These metrics should not be considered in isolation. Please refer to the considerations when interpreting these results.
Main findings
The first national ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign appears to have had an impact on screening uptake.
Background
This metric considers whether the ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign had an impact on uptake of screening in individuals eligible for the programme, where:
- uptake is the proportion of those invited for screening who attended for a test within 6 months (183 days) of their invitation date.
- eligible means the individual is in the age range 24 years and 6 months (24.5 years) to 64 years and is not ceased for clinical reasons (no cervix)
An increase in uptake may show an increase in individuals responding promptly to their screening invitation.
Methods
The analysis period was quarter 4 (January to March 2019) to quarter 2 (July to September 2019). Data for this period was compared to the same 3 quarters in 2018. Further information on the methodology used for the campaign analysis is available.
Results for age group 24.5 to 49 years
Individuals in this age group are invited every 3 years.
Figure 1 below compares uptake for individuals aged 24.5 to 49 years in England for the same quarters in the years 2018 and 2019.
Figure 1: uptake for ages 24.5 to 49 years, for years 2018 and 2019
| Year | Year 2018 | Year 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) | 42.5 | 45.8 |
| Quarter 1 (Apr to Jun) | 40.5 | 41.9 |
| Quarter 2 (Jul to Sep) | 41.7 | 42.1 |
The data shows that:
- in quarter 4 (January to March): there was a significant 3.2% increase from 42.5% in 2018 to 45.8% in 2019 (p<0.001)
- in quarter 1 (April to June): there was a significant 1.3% increase from 40.5% in 2018 to 41.9% in 2019 (p<0.001)
- in quarter 2 (July to September): there was a significant 0.4% increase from 41.7% in 2018 to 42.1% in 2019 (p<0.001)
Uptake for the younger age band was above the long term trend during the campaign, but subsequently fell back to trend.
Figure 2 below shows a longer term trend for uptake for individuals aged 24.5 to 49 in England from 2017 to 2019.
Figure 2: Screening uptake for individuals aged 24.5 to 49 invited between April 2017 and September 2019
The dotted line shows the linear trend for coverage over this time.
The line graph above shows an overall increase from 40.0% for quarter 1 2017 to 2018 (April to June 2017) to 42.1% for quarter 2 2019 to 2020 (July to September 2019). The lowest point of the line is 40.0% for quarter 1 2017 to 2018 (April to June 2017). The highest point of the line is 45.8% for quarter 4 2018 to 2019 (January to March 2019).
Results for age group 50 to 64 years
Individuals in this age group are invited every 5 years.
Figure 3 below compares uptake for individuals aged 50 to 64 years in England for the same quarters in the years 2018 and 2019.
Figure 3: uptake for ages 50 to 64 years, for years 2018 and 2019
| Year | Year 2018 | Year 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) | 47.9 | 50.6 |
| Quarter 1 (Apr to Jun) | 46.3 | 48.0 |
| Quarter 2 (Jul to Sep) | 47.1 | 46.7 |
The data show that:
- in quarter 4 (January to March): there was a significant 2.7% increase from 47.9% in 2018 to 50.6% in 2019 (p<0.001)
- in quarter 1 (April to June): there was a significant 1.7% increase from 46.3% in 2018 to 48.0% in 2019 (p<0.001)
- in quarter 2 (July to September): there was a non-significant -0.3% decrease from 47.1% in 2018 to 46.7% in 2019 (p=0.01)
Uptake for the older age band was above the long term trend during the campaign, but subsequently fell back to trend by quarter 2.
Figure 4 below shows a longer term trend for uptake in England for individuals aged 50 to 64 from 2017 to 2019.
Figure 4: Screening uptake for individuals aged 50 to 64 invited between April 2017 and September 2019
The dotted line shows the linear trend for coverage over this time.
The line graph above shows an overall increase from 46.5% for quarter 1 2017 to 2018 (April to June 2017) to 46.7% for quarter 2 2019 to 2020 (July to September 2019). The lowest point of the line is 45.3% for quarter 2 2017 to 2018 (July to September 2017). The highest point of the line is 50.6% for quarter 4 2018 to 2019 (January to March 2019).
Conclusions
There was a statistically significant increase in uptake during the campaign for individuals aged 24.5 to 49 years and 50 to 64 years.
This increase seems to be mainly during the campaign, suggesting only a short-term boost. This is likely to be as a result of the increased number of individuals attending for screening during the campaign.
The ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign appears to have had a short-term impact on uptake.
Get advice on the signs and symptoms of cancer from the NHS website. You can also find out more about the evaluation of Be Clear on Cancer campaigns.