News
January 2012
Smear campaign spreads across Wales!
Cervical Screening Wales is joining forces with a leading Welsh cancer charity, in a bid to encourage women to attend for smear tests.
The NHS screening programme is linking up with Tenovus during January to promote European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (ECCP), an annual event which encourages women to take up the offer of screening in their own country.
A Road Show, mounted in partnership with Tenovus, will be taking to the streets of Wales to highlight the importance of attending for a smear test.
Latest statistics show that coverage for women in the target age group is 76.4% in Wales, with health officials keen for women to take up the offer of free screening, which is offered every three years between the ages of 20 and 64.
Although cervical cancer can affect women of all ages, it is the second most common cause of cancer in women under the age of 35. So to promote ECCP Week 2012, the screening programme will be spreading it’s message at universities across Wales.
Screening staff will be on board the huge Tenovus chemotherapy mobile unit as it visits three universities during January, to offer advice, information and free goody bags. Students, staff and members of the public will also be able to have a free health check, carried out on the unit by Tenovus staff. The unit will be based at the following locations for one day only, and will be open to the general public, as well as students and staff:
- Monday, January 9th: Merthyr Tydfil College
- Monday, January 16th: Aberystwyth University
- Monday, January 30th: Glyndwr University, Wrexham
Screening Engagement Specialist, Alison Clement commented: “Cervical Screening Wales has supported ECCP Week for the past three years, by providing community information packs for venues such as sexual health clinics, nightclubs and colleges.
“This year, in addition to our information mail out, we are delighted to be teaming up with Tenovus to take our Campaign to three universities in Wales. As well as students and staff, members of the public will also be very welcome to come along.”
The Campaign is the latest in a series of health promotion initiatives by Cervical Screening Wales, which include a recently launched Facebook page, together with digital stories of real life experiences on ‘You Tube’.
Bryan Rose, All-Wales Programme Manager for Cervical Screening Wales stressed the importance of testing: “Regular smear tests are the most effective way of detecting abnormal, pre-cancerous cells, before they possibly turn into cancer. The test doesn’t just catch cancer early, but can actually prevent cancer from developing.
“Around 1,500 women die from cervical cancer in the UK every year, but we know that screening saves more than 1,000 lives a year.”
September 2011
New cancer screening resources launched
Women in Wales with a learning disability look set to benefit from new screening resources, designed to help them if they need further tests following NHS breast or cervical screening.
Two new resource packs have been developed for health professionals working with people with a learning disability, with both packs containing very little text and plenty of photographs.
The packs are the latest in a series of teaching resources developed by the Screening Promotion Department of Public Health Wales. Other packs include ‘Having a Breast Test’ and ‘Having a Smear Test’ which were launched in 2008 and and ‘Having a Bowel Test’ which was produced in 2010.
Senior Screening Promotion Officer, Heather Ramessur Marsden commented: “We appreciate that when someone is called back for further tests, it can be a stressful time. And for participants with a learning disability, it is essential that information is available in an appropriate format. Sometimes providing a leaflet is just not enough. All of our health education packs have been designed to help participants to understand and make informed decisions about whether to accept their screening appointments.”
She added: “These new packs, called ‘Having a Breast Assessment’ and ‘What is Colposcopy?’ are broken down into small, manageable sections covering all aspects of the screening journey. They explain why the woman has been recalled, the possible tests that she may have and the results that she may receive.”
Sue Brady, a breast care nurse at Breast Test Wales, which runs the NHS breast screening programme commented: “As part of the development of these packs, we have already used the resources with women attending the breast clinic and feel that they are a valuable resource in explaining what will happen during their assessment appointment.
“As breast care nurses, we are always happy to meet and explain the process personally, but it is helpful having the packs to support women in understanding the system”
May 2011
Friends needed to spread smear campaign!
Smear tests are a girl’s best friend – that’s the message from Cervical Screening Wales as it moves into the world of social networking and Facebook!
The NHS screening programme is the latest organisation to launch a ‘Facebook’ page in a bid to encourage women to go for regular smear tests. The programme hopes that women will become a ‘friend’ of the site, and help spread positive messages in the war against cervical cancer.
“Dipping our toes into the world of social networking is a new experience for us,” explained Dr Rosemary Fox, Acting Director of the Screening Division of Public Health Wales, which runs Cervical Screening Wales. “We appreciate that as an organisation we need to move with the times, and embrace social media which is now heavily used by younger people. We already have a ‘You Tube’ channel and a ‘Facebook’ page seemed a natural progression.”
She added: “The current uptake for cervical smear tests in Wales is 76.5% across all ages, however the 20-30 year olds have the lowest uptake of 64.2%. Many organisations and charities are seeing the benefits of using social networking sites as a way of promoting their services. Facebook is the biggest of all the social networking sites with millions of active users, so it has real potential to raise awareness about cervical cancer and the importance of attending for a smear test.”
Cervical Screening Wales offers smear testing to women aged between 20 and 64, every three years. Women receive a letter when they are due, inviting them to make an appointment at their GP Surgery or at a sexual health clinic. Dafydd Snelling, a Screening Promotion Officer with Public Health Wales, which runs the NHS screening programme, is responsible for creating the site.
He commented: “The site is now live so people can look us up straight away. If users search the site for Cervical Screening Wales, they can then click the ‘like’ button and add our page to their profile. This means that our page will then be able to able to be seen by all their friends. Potentially our NHS page could be seen by thousands of people within a very short time frame.“
Cervical Screening Wales plans to use the page to promote health promotion campaigns, give regular news updates and provide a link to it’s ‘You Tube’ sites which features digital patient stories.
January 2011
Women urged to have regular smear tests.
Women across Wales are this week being urged to have regular smear tests, as part of an annual drive to increase uptake and save lives.
The call comes during European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (ECCP), held every January, to encourage women across Europe to take advantage of screening services in their own country.
In Wales, health officials are keen for women aged between 20 and 64 to take advantage of the free NHS cervical screening test, which is offered every three years.
Latest statistics released in 2010 showed that screening coverage for women in the target age group was 76.5 % across Wales – up by 1.0% on the previous year. However despite this small increase, officials still want to encourage even more women to take advantage of the NHS service.
Dr Rosemary Fox, Acting Director of the Screening Division, Public Health Wales, which runs Cervical Screening Wales commented: “Research shows that smear tests are very effective at preventing cervical cancer. We estimate that the programme prevents almost 200 cases of cervical cancer in Wales every year. And more lives could be saved if all women attended for regular smears.”
Bryan Rose, All-Wales Programme Manager for Cervical Screening Wales added: “Regular smear tests are the most effective way of detecting abnormal, pre-cancerous cells, before they possibly turn into cancer. The test doesn’t just catch cancer early, but can actually prevent cancer from developing.
“Around 1,500 women die from cervical cancer in the UK every year, but we know that screening saves more than 1,000 lives a year.”
Although cervical cancer can affect women of all ages, it is the second most common cause of cancer in women under the age of 35.
During ECCP Week, Cervical Screening Wales will be holding promotional stands at a number of supermarkets throughout Wales, and targeting locations including nightclubs, sexual health clinics and universities with leaflets and posters.
The charity, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, has supported the call for women in Wales to attend for regular smear tests. It is the only UK charity dedicated to women and their families affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities.
The Trust will be running adverts in a number of cinemas in Wales to support ECCP Week, in a bid to raise awareness.
Director of the Trust, Robert Music commented: “Cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease and one where women can take proactive steps to reduce their risk.
“I urge every eligible woman in Wales to attend cervical screening when invited, and I applaud the work Cervical Screening Wales is undertaking to increase uptake. Quite simply, attending screening could save their life.”
November 2010
Public views sought on screening programmes in Wales.
MEN and women across Wales are being invited to share their views on NHS breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening tests.
A brand new ‘Public and Patient Involvement’ leaflet has been developed in a bid to encourage more members of the public to air their opinions, and actively promote the benefits of attending for regular screening tests.
Developed by the Screening Division of Public Health Wales, the bi-lingual leaflet will be distributed in communities throughout the country, in the hope of encouraging more people to step forward with their views, and help spread positive screening messages.
People will be able to get involved in a number of ways, from participating in focus groups and surveys, to sharing their experiences of having a screening test through the media, websites and digital stories.
Screening Promotion Officer, Hannah Jones explained: “A specialist promotion team is employed to raise awareness of the screening programmes currently offered in Wales, and public involvement is at the very heart of our activity.
“Service users already provide invaluable support to us in many ways, such as contributing towards the development of new leaflets, and appearing in our promotional DVD’s.
They also help us during specific promotional campaigns, such as during the annual European Cervical Cancer Awareness Week in January. We were able to use women’s experiences of having a smear test to raise awareness in the media about the cervical screening programme.”
Dr Rosemary Fox, Acting Director of the Screening Division for Public Health Wales commented: “ I am delighted that we are able to introduce this new initiative, which will allow us to ensure that our activities are informed by the views of the users of our services.
“It is crucial that we understand the views of the public when planning services, in order to provide the high quality, user-centred screening programmes that people in Wales deserve.”
Screening Promotion: Public involvement information leaflet
Screening Promotion Officer, Hannah Jones (left) and Clare Evans, Radiographer Helper, pictured with the new leaflet
October 2009
Public Health Wales goes live.
From Thursday 1 October, responsibility for the functions and services of Cervical Screening Wales has been taken on by the new NHS Trust, Public Health Wales.
Services provided by the Congenital Anomaly Register and Information Service (CARIS), the NPHS, Screening Services, the Wales Centre for Health and the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU) will remain unchanged. So will the names and contact details for each of these services.
Further detail about the change and plans for the future can be found on the Public Health Wales website:
nww.publichealthwales.wales.nhs.uk (intranet)
www.publichealthwales.org (internet)
May 2009
July 2008
New posters to promote cervical screening are available. Two versions have been designed, one aimed at younger women (20’s-30’s) and one aimed at women aged between 40 and 64. The posters are free of charge and can be ordered by clicking on the order form below and returning via e-mail. Alternatively, you can download your free PDF copy by clicking on the posters below.
Poster order form (PDF file)
Poster order form (Word file)
February 2008
New report supports Liquid Based Cytology for cervical cancer screening
January 2008
Latest developments in the HPV vaccination programme
November 2007
'About Your Breast Screening / About Your Cervical Smear Test' DVD released. The two 10-minute programmes explain the facts of having a breast screening test and a cervical smear test, in the words of real women and NHS staff. To order via email please use the Word file version below.
DVD order form (PDF file)
DVD order form (Word file)
'Screening for Life' newsletters
Autumn/Winter 2009 (PDF file 612KB)
Spring/Summer 2009 (PDF file 549KB)
Autumn/Winter 2008 (PDF file 516KB)
Spring 2008 (PDF file 543KB)
Autumn 2007 (PDF file 2.0MB)
'Transformation Zone' newsletters
Autumn 2007 (PDF file 681KB)
Spring 2007 (PDF file 1.1MB)
Autumn 2006 (PDF file 1.6MB)
December 2005 (PDF file 161KB)
November 2004 (PDF file 571KB)
October 2003 (PDF file 524KB)