After her sister was diagnosed with cervical cancer, 55-year-old Sara Street, knows how important cervical screening is – particularly after her own health scare
The grandmother of three is urging all women over the age of 25 to attend their cervical screening test when contacted, even if they have had the HPV vaccine. Cervical screening prevents 70 per cent of cervical cancer deaths in England.
After giving birth to her second child, Sara found out the lining of her womb had been scratched and she was at a high risk of contracting the HPV virus.
Eight years later, having attended a cervical smear every year, Sara’s mobility and anxiety became a problem and she struggled to go to hospital to attend her screening appointment after being discharged from yearly examinations.
Linda Hayes, Cervical Screening Outreach Nurse, at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust got in touch with Sara and explained the importance of her screening appointment and how the environment is ‘disability friendly’.
Feeling more at ease, Sara regrets not contacting Linda sooner and feels “very lucky” to be under her care through the outreach service at Walsall’s Palliative Care Centre.
She said: “Having cervical cancer within the family and having my own daughter at risk too, I was so scared to attend my appointments prior to meeting Linda.
“I can’t thank her enough for making me feel relaxed during my appointment up until I get my test results.”
This week is Cervical Cancer Prevention Week – aiming to raise awareness of the important of cervical screening, even after having the HPV vaccine.
Linda works across Walsall with several GP practices to enable women to take advantage of their screening test and works in an outreach capacity to make home visits to women who are unable to access GP appointments. This may be women who are sight impaired, have a learning disability or experience mobility issues as well as FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) survivors.
For further information or a chat in confidence please contact Linda on 01922 602610/07814 986176 or email: outreachcervical.screening@nhs.net.