Cervical screening buses offering drop-in appointments in Nelson

Living Well buses will visit Morrisons in Pendle Street on Wednesday, January 14th, and Nelson Family Hub/The Zone in Leeds Road from 11am to 4pm.

They will offer free drop-in cervical screening appointments in a safe, comfortable, and private area to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 who have missed their previous bookings, are overdue for a screening, or have never been screened.

Dr Neil Smith, primary care director at Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance, said: “The cervical screening programme is very important and saves thousands of lives each year.

“We are targeting areas with low uptake and want to offer as many options as possible to make it as convenient as we can - no appointment is necessary, just drop in on the day.

“The screening appointments should only take around 10 minutes in total, but it’s 10 minutes out of your day that can potentially save your life.”

Attendees are welcome to bring someone with them to their appointment, such as a friend, family member, or chaperone, to help make the experience more comfortable.

Cervical screening, also known as the smear test, tests for HPV (human papillomavirus) that can cause cervical cancer. If these types of HPV are found, they can be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.

Tricia Spedding, head of public health for NHS England in the North West, said: “We know that uptake of cervical screening is significantly low in some parts of our region, and I’m incredibly pleased that we have extended the mobile cervical screening unit to people in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

“Not everyone attends their cervical screening appointment when invited, and we’re aware that one of the reasons for this is access and finding an appointment that’s convenient for them.

“So, if anyone is overdue for their screening test or has been invited in the past but not attended, I’d encourage them to come along to the mobile unit where the staff will be happy to help and talk through any worries or concerns they may have.”

More than 3,000 British women are diagnosed annually with cervical cancer, but 99.8% of cases are preventable if caught early.

For more information, visit https://lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/cervical-screening-bus