Research and analysis

Appendix E: briefing materials and stimulus for deliberative workshops

Published 23 July 2026

Appendix E provides a brief outline of the content of the deliberative workshops.

Workshop 1: cervical screening

The group was provided with brief information on:

• what cervical screening is and how it is done
• the connection between HPV and cervical cancer
• the need for cervical screening even if vaccinated against high risk HPV
• screening options (clinician-taken sample or HPV self-sample)
• possible pros and cons of each option

Workshop 1 included presentations on:

• what HPV, the link to cervical cancer and what cervical screening is for
• the possible pros and cons of clinician-taken and self-sampling

Workshop 1 group discussion

Discussions took place on:

• initial thoughts about HPV and screening
• understanding of what screening is
• ‘myths’, beliefs and attitudes towards cervical screening
• levels of understanding about cervical screening before and after the presentations
• opinions of clinician-taken screening and HPV self-sampling

Workshop 2: Being offered a choice of screening method

The group was provided with brief information on:

• why a choice between clinician-taken screening and HPV self-sampling was being offered
• what each option entails
• what happens following the results (for each option)
• possible benefits of being offered a choice

Workshop 2 included presentations on:

• why choice is being offered, what is within scope of the workshops and how the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will use the research findings
• how choice is supported in cervical screening, and how people make choices

Workshop 2 group discussion

Discussions took place on:

• what people felt about being given a choice between clinician-taken and HPV self-sampling
• if the reasons given for offering a choice made sense
• the experiences of people in specific communities who may want a choice, or struggle with being offered a choice
• what type of information might be helpful or unhelpful to support people in making a choice

Participants were asked to provide notes on what questions or issues they would like to raise at the next session.

Workshop 3: engaging with the experts

Workshop 3 provided participants with the opportunity to ask further questions of experts, and to share lived experiences. Participants were also asked questions by the experts, to establish what people think is important in relation to cervical screening. The intention was for participants and experts to share their views and learn from each other.

The session included:

• an ice-breaker activity (asking for participant’s thoughts when presented with an image of an HPV self-sampling swab kit)
• a breakout session to develop ‘tell’ statements relating to experiences, concerns, hopes and informational needs
• feedback from participants to the experts (‘tell’ statements)
• experts asking participants questions relating to their ‘tell’ statements, particularly relating to informational needs and supporting an informed choice between self-sampling and clinician-taken screening

‘Tell’ statements

The ‘tell’ statements developed by (and worded by) the participants in workshop 3 were:

• it needs to be clear that self sampling and clinical testing are for the exact same thing at first (HPV) – this is a recent change as of 2019
• it needs to be made clear the importance of identifying HPV (including dormant strands), and how important it is to catch it early and test people throughout their lives
• people need to know whether self-sampling is as accurate as clinical screening
• self sampling would be more appealing if there had been trials and evidence showing success
• it is important to consider additional needs
• people’s first experience of either clinical or self-sampling testing will set the tone for how they continue to engage with testing
• concerns around stigma if someone receives a self-sampling test kit to their home (for example in shared accommodation)
• people may feel as though their test may not be taken seriously if they do it themselves

Workshop 4: information to support an informed decision

The final workshop session was held face-to-face rather than online.

The session consisted of 6 exercises.

1. Provision of and discussion on the current NHS invitation letter and leaflet for the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. This was to give participants and idea of the type and style of communications they would receive containing an offer of HPV self-sampling testing.

2. Discussion of 5 mock-up explanations comparing the accuracy between self-sampling and clinician-taken sampling. Participants were asked to rank the explanations from most to least helpful.

3. Discussion of mock-up information resources, conveying a) the screening pathway for clinician-taken screening and HPV self-sampling, and b) the potential benefits and drawbacks of each screening option. Participants were asked for their format preferences.

4. Participants were given a cervical screening timeline, and asked to note their informational needs at relevant points along the timeline. This was to help identify when people need information to support their decision-making process.

5. Participants were asked what information they would like to see on a webpage about HPV self-sampling within the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, to identify what information was needed about self-sampling specifically.

6. A list of pieces of information were set out for the participants. Each person was asked to use a sticker dot to identify the single piece of information most likely to drive their choice (regardless of screening method preference), and explain their choice. This exercise was to help identify ‘must have’ rather than ‘nice to have’ information.