Sharp rise in cervical screening test results sent out to women within two weeks of screening

More than four in five cervical screening test results in 2010-11 were sent out within two weeks of screening – a sharp rise from just over two in five in the previous year.

*Regional Information to primary care trust level is available from this publication

Nearly 83 per cent of test results in England were sent out by primary care organisations (PCOs) within a fortnight, compared to nearly 45 per cent in 2009-10. The percentage of test results sent out within two weeks has increased each year since 2007-08 when it first became possible to monitor two week availability.

The recent rise is likely to have been impacted by the national requirement that states all women should receive the results of their cervical screening test within two weeks; with PCOs having been required to achieve this by 2010.3

Today’s NHS Information Centre report; Cervical Screening Programme, England, 2010-11, is used to inform policy and to monitor the quality, effectiveness and safety of screening services. It also shows that among women aged 25 to 64:

• 4.3 million women were invited for a screening test in 2010-11, compared to 4.1 million in the previous year.

• 3.4 million women were tested in 2010-11, compared to 3.3 million in the previous year.

• At 31 March 2011; coverage - the percentage of eligible women screened at least once in the last five years fell to 78.6 per cent from 78.9 per cent in the previous year and from 79.5 per cent five years ago (in 2006).

• Coverage varied between England’s 10 Strategic Health Authorities, with four achieving 80 per cent or higher, compared to six in the previous year. The highest reported coverage was in the East Midlands at 81.4 per cent, while the lowest was London at 74.0 per cent.

NHS Information Centre Chief Executive Tim Straughan said: “The statistics in our report, which shows 3.4 million women aged 25 to 64 were tested in 2010-11, are important to monitor the quality and effectiveness of cervical screening services in this country.

“It shows women in England are being sent their cervical screening results faster than before; with the percentage of results sent out within two weeks rising sharply in a year.”

The report can be accessed at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/cervscreen1011

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care (The NHS IC) is England’s authoritative, central, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS IC also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
2. The figures about test results referred to in this press release report the ‘time from screening to availability of result’ which is measured as the number of days from the sample being taken to the result being sent by the PCO to the woman (not to the woman receiving the result). This is based on letters being printed on the recorded date and NHS Cervical Screening Programme policy being that letters should be despatched on the same date. This year the report itself also includes a figure for ‘time from screening to receipt of result’, as measured by expected delivery date. In 2010-11, 78.9% of test results were reported to have an expected delivery date of within 2 weeks of the sample being taken (i.e. women would be expected to receive the results of their test within 2 weeks). This figure is published as an ‘experimental statistic’ as it is undergoing evaluation. This figure is likely to be used in future press releases when comparative data becomes available.
3. The Department of Health’s Cancer Reform Strategy states that women should receive their cervical screening test result within two weeks and this commitment was highlighted in the 2010-11 NHS Operating Framework which stated that ‘all women should receive the results of their cervical screening tests within 2 weeks by 2010’. National policy is that all result letters should be produced by the Primary Care Organisation.
4. Women between the ages of 25 and 64 are invited for regular cervical screening under a national Cervical Screening Programme. This is intended to detect abnormalities within the cervix that could, if untreated, develop into cancer. National policy is that women are offered screening every three or five years depending on their age. Women aged 25-49 are invited every 3 years, whereas those aged 50-64 are invited every 5 years.
5. Coverage is defined as the percentage of women in a population eligible for screening at a given point in time (i.e. March 31st, at any given year) and who were screened adequately within a specified period. For the complete target age group (25 to 64 years), coverage is calculated as the number of women in this age group who have had an adequate screening test within the last 5 years as a percentage of the eligible population aged 25-64. Women ineligible for screening, and thus not included in the numerator or denominator of the coverage calculation, are those whose recall has been ceased for clinical reasons (most commonly due to hysterectomy).
6. Screened – a woman has been screened if she has had an adequate cervical screening test result.  A woman who has had only an inadequate test has not been screened.
7. Tested – a woman has been tested if she has had a cervical screening test, regardless of the result.
8. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990 or contact mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk

Tags: