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National Statistics
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Cervical Screening Programme, England - 2014-2015

This is part of Cervical Screening Programme

Official statistics, National statistics
Publication Date:
10 Nov 2015
Geographic Coverage:
United Kingdom
Geographical Granularity:
Local Authorities, Regions
Date Range:
01 Apr 2014 to 31 Mar 2015

Summary

This report presents information about the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England in 2014-15 and includes data on the call and recall system, on screening samples examined by pathology laboratories and on referrals to colposcopy clinics.

13 January 2016:

Please note the denominator description of the Abnormal Predictive Value (APV) measure, under Appendix B: Definitions section of the 2014-15 Cervical Screening publication, has been updated to reflect the correct test result of low-grade dyskaryosis (borderline or mild). We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Key Facts

  • At 31 March 2015, the percentage of eligible women (aged 25 to 64) who were recorded as screened adequately within the specified period was 73.5 per cent. This compares with 74.2 per cent at 31 March 2014 and 75.7 per cent at 31 March 2011.
  • Coverage amongst women aged 25 to 49 years (measured at three and a half years) was 71.2 per cent at 31 March 2015. This compares to 71.8 per cent as at 31 March 2014 and 73.7 per cent as at 31 March 2011.
  • For women aged 50 to 64 years, the coverage (measured at five and a half years) at 31 March 2015 was 78.4 per cent which compares to 79.4 per cent as at 31 March 2014 and 80.1 per cent as at 31 March 2011.
  • A total of 4.31 million women aged 25 to 64 were invited for screening in 2014-15 and 3.12 million women were tested, representing a fall of 3.3 per cent from 2013-14 when 3.23 million were tested.
  • National policy is that all women should receivetheir cervical screening test result within 2 weeks of the sample being taken. In 2014-15, 91.0 per cent of letters sent to women tested were reported to have an expected delivery date of within 2 weeks of the sample being taken. This compares to 93.7 per cent in 2013-14 and is below the Key Performance Indicator current acceptable value of 98.0 per cent.
  • 3.20 million samples were examined by pathology laboratories in 2014-15. This compares with 3.41 million in 2013-14. Of the samples examined in 2014-15, 3.04 million samples (94.8 per cent) were submitted by GPs and NHS Community Clinics, of which 2.5 per cent were inadequate. This compares with 2.4 per cent in 2013-14.
  • A total of 198,216 referrals to colposcopy were reported in 2014-15, a slight fall of 0.6 per cent from 2013-14 (199,322 referrals).

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