This Cervical Cancer Prevention Week Walsall women are being urged to make sure they attend their screening invitation – making a date that could save their lives.

Every day in the UK, nine women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and three women will lose their lives to the disease. Yet 22% of women do not attend their cervical screening invitation, resulting in 1:4 women not attending their screening test.

Cervical Cancer Prevention Week runs from 21-25 January and is a UK-wide initiative led by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. The week aims to highlight the importance of cervical screening (smear test) and how attending a screening invitation can help to prevent cervical cancer.

Linda Hayes, Cervical Screening Outreach Nurse at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust said: “If you have received an invitation to go for your routine cervical smear then please do not ignore the letter. The test should take no more than 15 minutes and could save your life.”

“It’s really important that we try and raise awareness of the importance of cervical screening and Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is the perfect opportunity to do just that’.

Linda already works across Walsall with a number of GP practices to enable women to take advantage of their screening test but in addition to this, works in an Outreach capacity and will make home visits to women who are unable to access GP appointments. This may be women who are visually impaired, have a learning disability, experience mobility issues or are FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) survivors who are anxious in a clinical environment.

For further information or a chat in confidence then please contact: Linda on: 01922 602610/07814 986176 or email: outreachcervical.screening@nhs.net