Flexibility call for cervical screening

Published on Sunday 23 January 2011 15:25

EMPLOYERS and GPs must help women do more to protect themselves from cervical cancer, a charity has warned.

Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust said that a lack of flexibility by employers and doctors meant women could face difficulties making appointments for cervical screening.

A survey, conducted for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, found that 39 per cent of women who worked and who had missed or delayed appointments said they did not find it easy to leave work to have the test done.

More than a quarter said they would be more encouraged to attend if their company was more flexible.

Only 15 per cent of women who had missed or delayed appointments said that their GP surgery offered screening in the evening or at weekends to make it easier for them to attend.

The survey of 2,700 women across the UK also found that 30 per cent of those who had missed appointments said they always took holiday to attend because they were too embarrassed to talk to their employer.

Robert Music, director of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said: "When you consider that approaching 14 million women in the UK are in full or part-time employment the potential impact employers' lack of flexibility could be having on women's health is huge."

Vicky Soutar, 31, from Edinburgh, knows the importance of cervical screening. Two years ago a routine test picked up pre-cancerous cells. "It was a total shock. I always had the routine smears since my early teens and I'd never had anything other than a normal result," she said. Ms Soutar had treatment to remove the abnormal cells about five weeks later before they turned into cervical cancer. She later received the news that all the cells had been cleared, but that for a few years she would need to have more regular screening than usual.

"I then got pregnant and that is a happy ending as well because who knows what would have happened if I had not had that smear test, and so many women have their fertility taken away from them," she said. Her daughter, Tilda, is now six months old.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Cervical screening saves lives, and it's important women don't let anything stand in their way when they're invited for screening. Nowadays many surgeries provide extended opening hours, which can help people who are busy with other commitments during traditional opening hours."