DIY smear tests to be offered to four million women in England

NHS attempts to make cervical screenings available for all

The self-sampling kits will be offered over the next year in an effort to reach an additional 400,000 women annually, Metro reported.

How the DIY smear tests work

The kits look similar to a Covid-19 lateral flow test. A long swab is inserted into the vagina, the sample is placed in a test tube and posted to a lab, where it is checked for human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus behind most cervical cancers.

Uptake of conventional screening has been falling: nearly a third of eligible women in England did not attend their most recent test, a drop blamed among younger women on embarrassment, fear of pain and a shortage of convenient appointments.

The rollout follows the YouScreen trial, in which 27,000 kits went to London patients overdue a smear. Some 85% of those offered a kit accepted one and 56% returned a self-sample.

King's College's Dr Anita Lim spoke on the tests: "Self-sampling has been hailed as a game-changer.

"It is crucial we make cervical screening easier… to help protect more people from this highly preventable cancer.

"The YouScreen trial has given us the evidence we need to demonstrate that self-sampling helps get more women screened."

Cervical screening already saves thousands of lives a year in the UK, and early detection remains the single biggest factor in outcomes, a point made forcefully this summer by the swimmer with incurable brain cancer who urged people not to waste time.

Eligible women who have missed appointments should expect to hear from the NHS about a kit over the coming months.