Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, is supporting Cervical Screening Awareness Week to highlight the potential life-saving benefits of cervical screening (smear tests).  Cervical screening prevents up to 75% of cervical cancers from developing and saves an estimated 5,000 lives across the UK every year.  However, one in four women do not attend when invited.

During Cervical Screening Awareness Week, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, the UK’s only dedicated charity for women affected by cervical cancer and abnormalities, is warning that more needs to be done to make it easier for women to access a screening appointment by ensuring that there are a range of appointment times available at their GP practice, more access at sexual health services and that new technologies such as self-sampling should be piloted.

Justin said:

“I am pleased to be supporting Cervical Screening Awareness Week, and the work of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

“It’s worrying that more than one in four women who should have a smear test do not.  As one reason for this is that many women find it hard to get an appointment time that suits them, I support Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust’s call for action by health services to increase access.”

Find out more about Cervical Screening Awareness Week at: www.jostrust.org.uk/csaw