Cervical Screening – Grove Medical Practice

Why the NHS offers cervical screening

We offer cervical screening to check the health of your cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. We look for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). This is because it can cause abnormal changes that may lead to cervical cancer.

Finding and treating any changes early can prevent most cases of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer mostly affects women and people who have a cervix under the age of 45, but abnormal changes can happen at any age.

Cervical screening saves thousands of lives each year in the UK.

Regular cervical screening is important. You’re still at risk of cervical cancer even if you:

have had the HPV vaccine
have only had 1 sexual partner
haven’t had penetrative sex
have had the same partner, or have not had sex, for a long time
are a lesbian or bisexual
are a trans man or a non-binary person with a cervix
have had a subtotal (partial) hysterectomy that did not remove your cervix

If you’ve had a total hysterectomy, you do not have a womb or cervix. This means you do not need cervical screening.

Who we invite for cervical screening

We routinely invite women aged 25 to 64 every 5 years. Most cervical cancers develop between these ages.

Your GP surgery gives us your contact information. Please make sure they have the correct details, including your:

name
date of birth
address
mobile number
email address

Your invitation will give you information about booking cervical screening. You can book as soon as you’re invited.

Trans men and non-binary people with a cervix are also eligible for cervical screening. How you’re invited will depend on how your gender is recorded in your GP patient record:

If you’re listed as female, you’ll receive invitations automatically.
If not, you can “opt in” to receive routine invitations. You can do this by contacting a cervical screening provider, such as your GP, a sexual health clinic or a transgender health clinic.

If you’re unsure, contact your GP. Find more information on screening for transgender and non-binary people.

Your Guide to NHS Cervical Screening – July 2025

Self-testing Option – due to start in early 2026

This week the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommended that women and people with a cervix who never or rarely attend their routine cervical screening appointments can be offered a HPV self-sampling test option. The NHS Cervical Screening Programme will now accelerate its plans to roll out this option from early 2026.