Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a major expansion of cervical cancer prevention, with around four million women who have fallen behind on screening to be offered free HPV self-testing kits.
The new NHS programme is designed to make cervical screening easier and more convenient, particularly for women who have missed appointments or face barriers to attending traditional screening.
Writing on X, Cooper said:
“Cervical cancer is preventable. Starting today, 4 million women who have fallen behind on cervical screening will be offered a free HPV self-testing kit.”
She added:
“Our NHS – making it easier to stay healthy and there for us all when we need it.”
HPV, or human papillomavirus, causes the vast majority of cervical cancer cases, making testing an important part of identifying women who may need further investigation.
Under the new approach, eligible women will be able to take a sample themselves at home and return it for analysis, removing the need for an initial in-person cervical screening appointment.
The Government hopes the move will improve screening rates among women who may have been put off by embarrassment, discomfort, work commitments, caring responsibilities or difficulties accessing appointments.
The initiative also forms part of Cooper’s wider focus as Health Secretary on prevention and early diagnosis, with ministers seeking to shift more NHS activity towards identifying health risks before they develop into serious illness.
For women who test positive for high-risk HPV, the NHS will be able to arrange appropriate follow-up checks and treatment where necessary.
Cooper said the rollout demonstrated how the NHS could make preventative healthcare more accessible while giving women greater choice over how they engage with screening services.
The scale of the programme is significant, with around four million women potentially eligible for the new home-testing option.
The Government hopes that making testing simpler will encourage more women to participate, identify more people at risk earlier and ultimately prevent more cases of cervical cancer.
The announcement represents another major preventative health initiative under Cooper’s leadership of the Department of Health, with the Health Secretary placing early intervention and easier access to NHS services at the centre of the Government’s approach.
