What is
cervical screening, who is responsible for delivery and who is eligible
Cervical screening (formerly known as the smear test) is offered to those with a cervix aged 25-64 and checks for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that could develop into cancer, if left untreated.
Invitations are managed by the national NHS Cervical Screening Administration Service (CSAS) Eligible patients will receive a letter in the post inviting them to make an appointment with their GP practice. Most cervical screening is done in a GP surgery by a female nurse or doctor.
If anyone aged 25-64 realises they have missed their cervical screening, they do not need to wait for a letter to make an appointment. General practices should check on the Cervical 
Screening Management System that the individual is due for screening and book in for a screening appointment as appropriate.
If a patient aged 65 or older comes forward and has never had a cervical screening test or has not had one since the age of 50, they should be booked in for a cervical screening appointment.
Frequency of cervical screening invitations
The frequency of cervical screening invites depends on age:
| Age | Frequency of invites |
|---|---|
| Under 25 | Up to 6 months before you turn 25 |
| 25 to 49 | Every three years |
| 50 to 64 | Every five years |
| 65 or older | Only if a recent test was abnormal |
Cervical screening awareness campaigns
Every year, there are two national awareness events to
encourage uptake of cervical screening - Cervical Cancer Prevention Week in January and Cervical Screening Awareness Week in June. Visit our events calendar to find resources such as posters and leaflets for patient waiting rooms and community settings to support the awareness events. We upload awareness materials a few weeks before the event dates.
Awareness events for 2025:
Cervical Cancer Prevention Awareness Week, 20-26 January
Cervical Screening Awareness Week, 16-22 June
Find more information about cervical screening by clicking on the logos below
Resources to support healthcare professionals
We have produced a toolkit to support our partners in improving uptake of cervical screening among eligible patients.
It includes:
Essential reading materials and education
Top tips to improve uptake
A handy checklist to record actions taken
Posters, leaflets and videos to share with patients
Translated and easy read patient information
Information and resources for trans and non-binary people
Find the toolkit on our PCN DES requirements and resources page by clicking the button below.
Cervical screening checklist for sample takers
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