To mark Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance has launched the first toolkit in England to improve opportunistic uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in general practice for the catch-up cohort.
The Improving Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Uptake Toolkit has been produced in collaboration with screening and immunisation teams and healthcare professionals across Surrey and Sussex. It provides information, resources and practical advice to general practice teams to improve local uptake and help prevent HPV-related cancers such as cervical cancer.
The HPV vaccination has proven effective in reducing the rates of cervical cancer since it was first introduced in 2008 for school-age girls. A 2021 study found that cervical cancer rates were reduced by almost 90% in women in their 20s in England, who were offered the vaccine aged 12-131. Additionally, it is one of the key pillars alongside cervical screening to help achieve the NHS ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 20402. In 2019, the HPV vaccination programme was expanded to include school-age boys.
However, while the national uptake ambition for the year 8 school-age HPV vaccination programme is 90%, uptake rates are currently less than pre-pandemic levels. HPV vaccine coverage of dose 1 for year 8 females in 2022 to 2023 across Frimley, Surrey and Sussex was 79%, 77% and 74% respectively. However, for dose 1 in year 8 males, uptake coverage was 78%, 71% and 62% for Frimley, Surrey and Sussex respectively. 3.
“We have a long way to go to meet this target and general practice has a r
ole to play in increasing uptake rates,” says Alex Norman, SSCA co-medical director. “While the majority of the HPV vaccination is delivered through the school immunisation programme, colleagues in general practice can help improve uptake by offering opportunistic catch-up HPV vaccination to 14 to 24-year-olds who have missed their school-age vaccine. This toolkit will help provide practical advice and information on how to do that.”
The toolkit includes information about the vaccine and who is eligible, training and resources for healthcare professionals and information for patients and the public. The toolkit will be shared with all Primary Care Networks (PCNs) across the Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance footprint throughout this month.
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Resources for Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
Signs and symptoms of cervical cancer:
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Click on the link to find information for healthcare professionals and the public to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of this disease: SSCA events calendar/January/Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
Cervical screening:
Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance has produced a toolkit to support primary care in improving uptake in cervical screening. It provides practical information on what steps PCNs can take to improve uptake plus awareness resources for GP waiting rooms and a handy checklist to record actions taken. Find it here: SSCA Improving Cervical Screening Uptake Toolkit
Sample taking checklist:
To support the safe and effective delivery of sample taking in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme and reduce the number of avoidable sample rejections, a checklist has been created by the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Public Health Commissioning Team. The checklist provides a detailed breakdown of the areas cervical screening sample takers must ensure are correct as part of the sample taking process, plus simple prompts to ensure the correct process is followed. Find it here: Cervical Screening Checklist