Here come the girls – to Highlight Cervical Screening

Health campaign teams will be visiting town centres across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in the next few weeks, talking to women about cervical screening, and handing out useful information.

They will ask local women what’s more embarrassing – a toilet roll stuck to your shoe, having your skirt tucked into your knickers, or taking a cervical screening test? The campaign aim is to help women overcome their embarrassment and have the tests,

Studies show that the main reasons why local women don’t attend their cervical screening appointments are embarrassment, fear of pain, and that they don’t have enough time, so a campaign called “No excuses” has been launched by NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland .

The campaign aims to promote cervical screening to women aged 25-29, addressing the main barriers to screening and letting them know that if caught early, cervical cancer can often be easily treated. 

As part of the campaign, a video clip of a cheeky spontaneous ‘flashmob’ in city and county locations is also being released. The ‘flashmob’ events took place recently in Leicester and Coalville and featured women with their skirts tucked in their knickers walking proudly down the street to the sound of “Here Come the Girls” to the amusement of Saturday shoppers.

The flashmob also promoted www.noexcuses-nhs.co.uk  – a new website where information on cervical screening can be found, including where to go for a cervical screening test and frequently asked questions. 

Almost 3,400 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the UK each year – that’s nine women every day. It is the most common cancer in women under 35 years old. The national cervical cancer screening target is to screen 80% of all eligible women.

If you are female and between the ages of 25 and 64, NHS cervical screening programme staff will write to you every three to five years and ask you to go for a test at your GP surgery. When you get your letter, it’s really important that you attend these appointments, because if caught early, treatment can often prevent cervical changes developing into cancer.

Make sure you are registered with a GP so that you are invited for NHS screening tests. If you are not registered with a GP practice or you would prefer an alternative you can have a cervical screen at a family planning clinic or genito-urinary medicine (GUM) department. For more information on where to go visit www.noexcuses-nhs.co.uk. 

For more information about cervical screening, visit www.noexcuses-nhs.co.uk.

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