Fewer women attending cervical cancer checks, figures show

Almost three out of five women do not attend for vital tests for cervical cancer within six months of being invited, figures have revealed.

Official data shows that in 2024-25, 41.9% of women went for a cervical smear test within six months of receiving a letter asking them to do so.

That is down from 51.9% in 2023-24, and is below the target of having 80% uptake for the test.

Public Health Scotland, which published the figures, noted “uptake decreased across all age groups between 2023-24 and 2024-25”.

There was also a decrease in the number of women who have had screening in either the past three-and-a-half years, or five-and-a-half years, depending on their age.

This fell by eight percentage points to 55.3% in 2024-25 – again putting it below the Government’s 80% target.

Public Health Scotland also noted that less than half (49.6%) of women in the most deprived areas had been for a test within the relevant time frame, compared to 58.8% in the least deprived areas.

This gap was said to be similar to previous years.

National screening for cervical cancer was introduced in Scotland in 1988 with the aim of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer, as well as picking up any cases at an earlier stage before symptoms are present.

Overall, 45% of cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in 2023 were found after screening – with this up from 2022 but still lower than pre-Covid, with between 48% and 51% of cases diagnosed as a result of the checks between 2016 and 2019.

Professor David Morrison, consultant in public health at PHS and director of the Scottish Cancer Registry, encouraged women to come forward for the checks.

He said: “Cervical screening offers the chance to pick up early cell changes and stop cancer ever occurring.

“Even if cancer is found, it’s more likely to be at an early, curable stage than after it starts to cause symptoms.

“I encourage anyone who’s offered cervical screening to take up that offer.”

Screening is “crucial” even for those who have had the HPV vaccine, with Prof Morrison explaining the jab “does not protect against all types of HPV that can cause cancer”.

He added: “It’s the combination of vaccination and cervical screening that gives us the best chance of eliminating cervical cancer.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton complained that the number of women coming forward for screening “is still too low”.

He said: “We know that early intervention is crucial in cancer cases, so much more needs to be done to expand both coverage and uptake.

“That includes tackling barriers to participation, whether that’s making sure women can get appointments at times that suit them or supporting them with information about what a screening involves.”