MORE than 20 per cent of women in Dorset do not attend their cervical screening appointments, figures have revealed - as it emerged screenings are now at a 20-year low nationally.

Access to face-to-face appointments being slashed due to Covid and reluctance to attend medical appointments amid the pandemic are being blamed for the drop.

The latest figures show that 78 per cent of women in Dorset attend their cervical screening. The number of women attending their cervical cancer test in the UK is at a 20-year-low, at an average of 72.2 per cent, according to the latest government statistics.

Women aged 25 to 64 should be invited by letter to have cervical screenings, and last year more than 4 million were invited for theirs.

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However with NHS pressures, paused programmes during the early months of the pandemic and increased hesitancy about the test, the charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust warns that the true picture of attendance is now likely much lower.

Hilary Maxwell is a gynaecology clinical nurse specialist at Dorset County Hospital and founder of Go Girls, a Dorset charity supporting women with gynaecological cancers.

She said: "The majority of cervical screening takes place in GP surgeries. Whilst practice nurses are still available, access really has been considerably reduced. I think that there’s two sides to it. One, access to the services themselves, and two, as a result of the pandemic and people’s nervousness, people feel reluctant to attend or think possibly that they can defer.

"In gynaecological cancers this year we are seeing a significantly higher increase in numbers of patients with much more complex cases and we are picking up more cervical, and surprisingly, vulval cancers, which again, I think reflects the lack of face-to-face appointments.

"The hospital has been able to be extremely flexible for appointments, but these services are considered secondary care, the worry is getting through the door in primary care, and that's GPs.

"It is almost a postcode lottery, you must remember down here in the south west we suffer dreadfully from health inequalities. Whilst we have some excellent GPs here in this county, we are also very aware that these GPs are working flat out and have had a lot to contend with."

Jane Horne, Consultant in Public Health at Public Health Dorset, said: “GP practices have continued to offer cervical screening appointments to women during the Covid-19 pandemic. We encourage anyone who receives an invitation to book and attend their appointment. GPs have many Covid-secure measures in place to ensure you can attend your appointment safely.

“Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, it’s a test to help prevent cancer. Screening detects early abnormalities in the cervix, which if left untreated can lead to cancer. These abnormalities have no symptoms so it’s really important that you attend your screening when invited. If you have any concerns about symptoms, you should always contact your GP."