Cervical screening standards data report 2023 to 2024
Published 15 May 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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In this report we use ‘screening year 2023 to 2024’ to refer to 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. See more information about the terminology used in this report in Section 5.
This report focuses on performance in England from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 compared to the national cervical screening programme standards. It also includes trend data from previous years, where this is available.
These standards contribute to assessing the quality of the cervical screening programme (CSP) across England. Publishing the data ensures stakeholders and the public have access to reliable and timely information on the quality and performance of the screening programme.
The standards focus on some of the important targets providers have to meet and maintain to make sure local screening services are high quality, safe and effective.
This report provides data on coverage, timeliness of receiving results, laboratory and colposcopy clinical standards.
Where the data show that standards are not met or there are data collection issues, providers and commissioners should ensure appropriate action is taken to address the issue. Support and advice for this process is available from the NHS England Screening Quality Assurance Service (SQAS) and the National Cervical Screening Portfolio Team is available to.
The data in this report complements that published jointly by NHS Digital and NHS England in the annual cervical screening statistical bulletin for 2022 to 2023. The coverage data in this report differs slightly to the statistical bulletin because it is based on sub-ICBs (Integrated Care Boards) rather than local authorities.
The report covers the fourth full year of HPV primary screening since the implementation of the new screening pathway in December 2019.
1. Coverage
This section covers standards CSP-S01 and CSP-S02.
Coverage is measured in national screening programmes to provide assurance that screening is being offered to the eligible population.
Eligible individuals are those entitled to an offer of screening. For cervical screening, this is individuals aged from 24 years and 6 months up to 64 years, who have a cervix and those aged over 65 who have not had a test since the age of 60. Details of specific definitions used to extract the data are shown in Section 5.
Coverage is an important indicator for the programme to achieve its aims of reducing incidence and mortality.
CSP-S01: coverage for women aged 25 to 49 years
67.5% of women in the registered population eligible for cervical screening aged 25 to 49 at the end of the period reported were screened adequately within the previous 3 and a half years (where the eligible population is 10,804,705).
| Region | Women aged 25 to 49 (%) |
|---|---|
| England | 67.5 |
| East of England | 70.5 |
| London | 60.8 |
| Midlands | 67.8 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 70.5 |
| North West | 67.8 |
| South East | 69.3 |
| South West | 71.2 |
Figure 1: Cervical screening – coverage performance, for women aged 25 to 49, England, as at 31 March 2024.
Coverage for those aged 25 to 49 is historically lower than for those aged 50 to 64 (see standard S02 below).
Figure 2: CSP-S01: coverage for women aged 25 to 49, England, screening year ending March 2017 to the year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows a slight decrease from 69.7% to 69.4% over the screening years ending March 2017 to 2018, before increasing to 70.9% at March 2020. There is then a gradual decrease to 67.0% at March 2023 followed by slight increase to 67.5% at March 2024.
Figure 3: CSP-S01: map of coverage for women aged 25 to 49, England, as at 31 March 2024.
The map above shows that at March 2024, none of the 106 sub-ICBs in England met or exceeded the 80% acceptable threshold.
CSP-S02: Coverage for women aged 50 to 64 years
74.9% of women in the registered population eligible for cervical screening aged 50 to 64 at end of period reported who were screened adequately within the previous 5 and a half years (where the eligible population is 5,431,470).
| Region | Women aged 50 to 64 (%) |
|---|---|
| England | 74.9 |
| East of England | 76.6 |
| London | 72.0 |
| Midlands | 75.1 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 76.0 |
| North West | 73.5 |
| South East | 75.2 |
| South West | 76.2 |
Figure 4: Cervical screening – coverage performance, for women aged 50 to 64, England, as at 31 March 2024.
Coverage for those aged 50 to 64 has historically been higher than for younger women (see standard S01 above).
Figure 5: CSP-S02: Coverage for women aged 50 to 64, England, screening year ending 2017 to the year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows a decrease from 77.3% to 76.3% over the screening years ending 2017 and 2018 and then remains at 76.4% for the screening years ending 2019 and 2020.The graph then decreases to 75.0% at March 2021 and March 2022 with a small decrease to 74.9% at March 2023 and March 2024
Figure 6: CSP-S02: map of coverage for women aged 50 to 64, England, as at 31 March 2024.
The map above shows that at March 2024, none of the 106 sub-ICBs in England met or exceeded the 80% acceptable threshold.
2. Test – timely receipt of result letter
This section covers standard CSP-S03. This standard covers the screening pathway from the date the sample is taken to the expected date the result letter is received by the participant in the post.
Timely receipt of result letters is monitored to ensure that the outcome of screening tests are communicated to participants promptly .
CSP-S03: test – timely receipt of result letter
89.0% of women recorded on the cervical screening call and recall IT system received their screening results in writing within 14 days from the date of their screening sample being taken (where the number of result letters sent was 3,147,135). Section 5 gives further details of who is recorded on the call and recall IT system.
| Region | Results received within 14 days (%) |
|---|---|
| England | 89.0 |
| East of England | 92.7 |
| London | 87.8 |
| Midlands | 93.3 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 89.6 |
| North West | 76.8 |
| South East | 88.0 |
| South West | 96.0 |
Figure 7: Cervical screening – receiving results within 14 days, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
Achievement of this standard is affected by transport of samples, reporting times in laboratories and result letter administration by the call and recall service.
HPV primary screening was implemented across England in December 2019. This affected the whole screening pathway while planning for the change took place. Since the implementation of HPV primary screening, performance against this standard has significantly improved, although does not quite yet meet the minimum level required.
Figure 8: CSP-S03: Percentage of women receiving their result within 14 days of their test, England, screening year ending March 2016 to the year ending March 2024.
Line graph shows a steady decrease from 89.1% in screening years 2015-16 to 44.0% in year ending March 2020. This is followed by and overall increase to 89.0% in March 2024
Figure 9: CSP-S03: map of women receiving their result within 14 days, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
The map above shows that by March 2024, only two of the 106 sub-ICBs in England had met or exceeded the 98% threshold for the screening year 2023 to 2024
3. Laboratory standards
This section covers standards CSP-S04, CSP-S05, CSP-S06 and CSP-S07.
Laboratories provide data using the mandatory KC61 return apart from CSP-S04 which uses a special data request. The screening year ending in March 2024 is the fourth full year of HPV primary screening data collected from 8 laboratory services.
Standards CSP-S06 and CSP-S07 rely on data from the previous screening year and are calculated using data from the 8 laboratories operating during the screening year ending March 2023.
In the regional level data shown for laboratory standards, the Midlands region data will be a combination of two laboratories data as there are two laboratories within the region (Royal Derby Hospital and Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals).
CSP-S04: test – minimise false negative reporting
97.5% of all cytology abnormalities (and 98.7% of high grade cytology abnormalities) were correctly identified at the initial review when compared with the results of a second, ‘rapid’ review (where the number of abnormal samples was 179,358 and the number of high grade abnormalities was 32,678).
| Region | proportion of abnormal samples correctly identified (%) | proportion of high grade samples correctly identified (%) |
|---|---|---|
| England | 97.5 | 98.7 |
| East of England | 97.2 | 98.7 |
| London | 97.9 | 98.5 |
| Midlands | 97.4 | 99.1 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 98.0 | 99.3 |
| North West | 98.4 | 98.6 |
| South East | 97.2 | 98.6 |
| South West | 94.9 | 97.5 |
Figure 10: Cervical screening – proportion of samples correctly identified at the initial review, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
Standard CSP-S04, known as ‘sensitivity’, measures the proportion of all cytology abnormalities or high grade cytology abnormalities that were correctly identified at the initial review when compared with the results of a second, ‘rapid’ review.
This standard is important to monitor to help reduce the chance of abnormalities not being detected. The change to HPV primary screening has resulted in a small increase in sensitivity. This is likely to be because only screening samples that are known to be HPV positive receive a cytology review and therefore the likelihood of a cytology abnormality being present is greater.
Figure 11a: CSP-S04: proportion of samples correctly identified at the initial review (all abnormalities), England, screening year ending 2018 to the year ending March 2024.
The line graph for all abnormalities (above) is generally steady at between 96.3% to 96.7% over the screening years ending March 2018 to 2020. There has been a slight increase to 97.6% in the screening year 2021 to 2022 followed by a slight decrease to 97.5% in the screening years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024.
Figure 11b: CSP-S04: proportion of samples correctly identified at the initial review (high grade abnormalities), England, screening years ending 2018 to 2024.
The line graph for high grade abnormalities (above) shows a steady increase from 97.9% to 98.5% over screening years ending March 2017 to 2020, remaining between 98.5% to 98.7% over screening years ending March 2021 to 2024.
All 8 cervical screening laboratories met or exceeded the standard for all abnormalities and for high grade abnormalities.
CSP-S05: test – inadequate samples
0.65% of cervical screening samples were reported as HPV unavailable or cytology inadequate (where the total number of samples reported was 3,104,833), compared with 0.53% in the screening year ending March 2023.
| Region | Inadequate samples as % |
|---|---|
| England | 0.65 |
| East of England | 0.40 |
| London | 1.12 |
| Midlands | 0.28 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 0.47 |
| North West | 0.42 |
| South East | 0.81 |
| South West | 1.09 |
Figure 12: Cervical screening – proportion of samples reported as inadequate, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
The inadequate rate is reported for samples received from women aged 25 to 64 taken at a GP practice or community clinic.
Rates should be low as tests reported as inadequate need to be repeated to get a result for the participant. However, some inadequate results are expected due to technical or administrative reasons.
Prior to the screening year ending in March 2021, this standard was measured by calculating a 5% to 95% ‘acceptable’ range annually from the rates for all laboratories. As there are now only 8 laboratories, this is no longer an appropriate method to calculate a standard range. Whilst the method for calculating a standard is being reviewed, the range will be reported. NHS England will continue to monitor trends in the rate of inadequate tests but will not apply a standard .
The minimum rate reported was 0.26%.
The maximum rate reported was 1.12%.
Figure 13: CSP-S05: Proportion of samples reported as inadequate, England, screening year ending March 2016 to the year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows an increase from 2.5% to 2.7% over the screening years ending March 2016 to 2017. It then shows a decrease to 2.3% in the screening year ending March 2019 before a large decrease to 0.4% in the screening year ending March 2021. This is followed by an increase to 0.7% in screening years 2022 to 2024. The large overall decrease is likely due to the benefits of the roll out of HPV primary testing. HPV testing is more likely to obtain an adequate result than cytology and as all cytology samples tested are known to be HPV positive, there is less chance of an inadequate cytology result.
CSP-S06: test – cytological positive predictive value (PPV)
77.4% of participants referred with high grade abnormalities who have a histological outcome of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2, CIN 3, cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia (CGIN) (adenocarcinoma in situ) or cervical cancer (where the number of people referred whose histology outcome was no abnormality detected (NAD) or worse was 32,454), compared with 79.5% in the screening year ending March 2023.
| Region | positive predictive value as % |
|---|---|
| England | 77.4 |
| East of England | 81.4 |
| London | 66.5 |
| Midlands | 85.0 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 75.6 |
| North West | 84.2 |
| South East | 76.6 |
| South West | 89.1 |
Figure 14: Cervical screening – proportion of high grade referrals with histology of CIN 2 or worse, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
PPV reports the correlation between a high grade cytology screening result and the subsequent histological outcome for those referred to colposcopy in the 12 months prior to the year reported.
Cytology is partly subjective and may be overcalled. PPV can be further influenced by histological diagnosis, colposcopy practice and disease prevalence. Calculating a range means that some laboratories will be outside the standard (above or below) and this would warrant further investigation.
Prior to the screening year ending in March 2022, this standard was measured by calculating a 5% to 95% ‘acceptable’ range annually from the rates for all laboratories. As there are now only 8 laboratories, this is no longer an appropriate method to calculate a standard range. Whilst the method for calculating a standard is being reviewed, the range will be reported. NHS England will continue to monitor trends in the PPV rate but will not apply a standard.
The minimum rate reported was 66.5%.
The maximum rate reported was 89.1%.
Figure 15: CSP-S06: proportion of high grade referrals with histology of CIN 2+, England, screening year ending March 2016 to the screening year ending March 2024.
The line graph above is generally steady at between 85.4% to 85.2% over the screening years ending March 2016 to 2019, before a steady decrease to 77.4% in the year ending March 2024 .
CSP-S07: test – cytological abnormal predictive value (APV)
9.9% of participants referred with borderline or low grade cytology results who have a histological outcome of CIN 2, CIN 3, CGIN (adenocarcinoma in situ) or cervical cancer (where the number of people referred whose histology outcome was no abnormality detected (NAD) or worse was 122,378), compared to 11.0% in the screening year ending March 2023.
| Region | Abnormal predictive value as % |
|---|---|
| England | 9.9 |
| East of England | 9.9 |
| London | 9.6 |
| Midlands | 11.8 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 8.5 |
| North West | 8.7 |
| South East | 8.6 |
| South West | 16.1 |
Figure 17: Cervical screening – proportion of low grade referrals with histology of CIN 2 or worse, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
Abnormal predictive value (APV) reports the correlation between low grade cytology screening results and the subsequent histological outcome for people referred to colposcopy in the 12 months prior to the year reported. A small proportion of low grade screening results are expected to be found to have a high grade histology outcome.
Cytology is partly subjective and may be under-called. APV can be further influenced by histological diagnosis and colposcopy practice.
Prior to the screening year ending in March 2022, this standard was measured by calculating a 5% to 95% ‘acceptable’ range annually from the rates for all laboratories. As there are now only 8 laboratories, this is no longer an appropriate method to calculate a standard range. Whilst the method for calculating a standard is being reviewed, the range will be reported. NHS England will continue to monitor trends in the APV rate but will not apply a standard.
The minimum rate reported was 8.5%.
The maximum rate reported was 16.4%.
Figure 18: CSP-S07: proportion of low grade referrals with histology of CIN 2 or worse, England, screening year ending March 2016 to the screening year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows a decrease from 16.9% in the screening year ending March 2016 to 9.9% by the year ending March 2024. This shows that over time low grade referrals are less likely to have a high grade histology outcome.
4. Colposcopy standards
This section covers standards CSP-S08, CSP-S09, CSP-S10, CSP-S11 and CSP-S12.
Colposcopy clinics provide data using the mandatory KC65 return apart from CSP-S09 which uses a special data request.
In the screening year ending March 2024, 185 colposcopy clinics returned data for the majority of the standards (compared to 183 the year before).
CSP-S08: colposcopy – timely biopsy result letter sent
77.0% of individuals received their biopsy results within 4 weeks of the sample being taken (the acceptable threshold is 90% and above) and 95.9% received their results within 8 weeks (the achievable threshold is 100%). The number of results overall was 53,132. This compares to 73.7% and 96.5% respectively for the same standards in the screening year ending March 2023.
| Region | Proportion received within 4 weeks (%) | Proportion received within 8 weeks (%) |
|---|---|---|
| England | 77.0 | 95.9 |
| East of England | 82.7 | 98.8 |
| London | 73.4 | 92.7 |
| Midlands | 78.4 | 97.7 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 82.0 | 97.9 |
| North West | 70.2 | 93.4 |
| South East | 70.5 | 94.7 |
| South West | 84.4 | 98.8 |
Figure 20: Cervical screening – proportion of biopsy results received within 4 or 8 weeks, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
This standard is important to ensure results of biopsies (diagnostic or treatment) are received in a timely manner. This ensures that those who require further treatment and those who do not are informed in writing at the earliest opportunity. Achievement of this standard is influenced by the timeliness of histology reporting and the efficiency of colposcopy clinic administration.
For results received within 4 weeks, the minimum rate reported for an individual clinic was 2.4%.
For results received within 8 weeks, the minimum rate reported for an individual clinic was 34.8%.
The data show that 77 of 185 clinics reported at least 90% of results were received within 4 weeks, and 73 of 185 clinics reported all results were received within 8 weeks.
Figure 21a: CSP-S08: proportion of results received within 4 weeks, England, screening year ending 2016 to the screening year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows an increase from 83.2% to 86.2% over the screening years ending 2016 to 2018, before a decrease to 81.8% over the screening years ending 2019 and 2020. It then shows an increase to 86.0% in the screening year ending 2021 before a decrease to 73.7% in screening year ending 2023. Followed by an increase to 77.0% in screening year ending 2024.
Figure 21b: CSP-S08: proportion of results received within 8 weeks, England, screening year ending 2016 to the screening year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows generally steady performance from 97.9% in the screening year ending March 2016 to 98.0% in the screening year ending March 2022. This was followed by a decrease to 96.5% and 95.9% in the screening years ending March 2023 and March 2024 respectively.
| Region | Performance < acceptable | Acceptable range | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| London | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| Midlands | 24 | 11 | 35 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 16 | 21 | 37 |
| North West | 19 | 6 | 25 |
| South East | 16 | 5 | 21 |
| South West | 11 | 13 | 24 |
Figure 22: CSP-S08: Received within 4 weeks, number of clinics below or within the acceptable range and the total, by region, screening year 2023 to 2024.
| Region | Performance < acceptable | Acceptable range | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| London | 16 | 7 | 23 |
| Midlands | 20 | 15 | 35 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 17 | 20 | 37 |
| North West | 18 | 7 | 25 |
| South East | 16 | 5 | 21 |
| South West | 13 | 11 | 24 |
Figure 23: CSP-S08: Received within 8 weeks, number of clinics below or within the achievable range and the total, by region, screening year 2023 to 2024.
CSP-S09: colposcopy – intervention or treatment (12-month follow-up after treatment)
3.5% of individuals seen at colposcopy within 12 months of previous treatment had a histology result of CIN or cancer (the acceptable threshold is 5.0% and under), where the number returning to colposcopy after treatment was 40,363. This compares to 3.2% in the screening year ending March 2023.
| Region | Proportion with CIN or cancer (%) |
|---|---|
| England | 3.5 |
| East of England | 5.8 |
| London | 3.5 |
| Midlands | 3.0 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 3.2 |
| North West | 2.1 |
| South East | 2.6 |
| South West | 4.7 |
Figure 24: Cervical screening – proportion of individuals with CIN or cancer within 12 months of previous treatment, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
It is important to maximise successful treatment to ensure that the number of individuals with residual high grade disease or cancer within 12 months of treatment is as low as possible.
Not all clinics could supply data for this standard – 167 of 185 clinics returned figures. Services and commissioners are responsible for taking action to ensure accurate and complete data are reported from all clinics.
The minimum rate reported was 0%.
The maximum rate reported was 13.3%.
Figure 25: CSP-S09: proportion of individuals with CIN or cancer within 12 months, England, screening years ending March 2018 to 2024.
The line graph above shows a slight increase from 2.8% to 2.9% over the screening years ending March 2018 to screening year ending March 2019, then remaining steady at 2.9% to screening year ending March 2022 followed by a slight increase to 3.5% in the screening years up to March 2024.
| Region | Acceptable range | Performance > acceptable | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 8 | 12 | 20 |
| London | 18 | 4 | 22 |
| Midlands | 30 | 3 | 33 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 25 | 6 | 31 |
| North West | 20 | 1 | 21 |
| South East | 18 | 3 | 21 |
| South West | 12 | 7 | 19 |
Figure 26: CSP-S09: proportion of individuals with CIN or cancer within 12 months, number of clinics within or above the acceptable range and the total, by region, screening year 2023 to 2024.
CSP-S10: colposcopy – intervention or treatment (inadequate cytology)
73.5% of individuals referred for colposcopy after 2 consecutive inadequate cytology or HPV unavailable screening tests were offered an appointment within 6 weeks of referral (the acceptable threshold is at least 99%). The overall number of inadequate referrals was 1,881. This compares to 75.5% for the screening year ending in March 2023.
| Region | proportion offered an appointment within 6 weeks (%) |
|---|---|
| England | 73.5 |
| East of England | 91.7 |
| London | 59.8 |
| Midlands | 81.9 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 59.8 |
| North West | 85.4 |
| South East | 68.7 |
| South West | 85.4 |
Figure 27: Cervical screening – inadequate referrals offered a colposcopy appointment within 6 weeks, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
Standard CSP-10 is important to ensure that individuals have prompt referral for colposcopy assessment to reduce anxiety, and to make sure that no abnormality is missed and a definitive screening result is achieved.
This standard covers individuals referred to colposcopy following persistent inadequate cytology or unavailable HPV result, with the most recent result being inadequate cytology.
Not all clinics reported receiving inadequate referrals – 168 of 185 clinics had referrals in this category. The remaining 17 reported no inadequate referrals during the time period.
The minimum rate reported was 0%.
The data show that 81 of 168 clinics reported that all inadequate referrals were offered an appointment within 6 weeks.
Figure 28: CSP-S10: inadequate referrals offered a colposcopy appointment within 6 weeks, England, screening year ending March 2018 to the year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows a slight decrease from 95.2% to 93.8% over the screening years ending 2018 to 2020. A decrease to 72.7% in year ending 2022, remaining at 75.5% over the next 2 years. This was followed by a slight decrease to 73.5% in the year ending March 2024.
| Region | Performance < acceptable | Acceptable range | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| London | 16 | 5 | 21 |
| Midlands | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 18 | 16 | 34 |
| North West | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| South East | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| South West | 11 | 12 | 23 |
Figure 29: CSP-S10: inadequate referrals offered a colposcopy appointment within 6 weeks, number of clinics below or within the acceptable range and the total, by region, screening year 2023 to 2024.
CSP-S11: colposcopy – intervention or treatment (6-weezk appointment)
73.9% of individuals referred for colposcopy after a positive high risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) test with negative or borderline or low-grade dyskaryosis cytology were offered an appointment within 6 weeks of referral (the acceptable threshold is 99%). The overall number of these referrals was 173,994. This compares to 75.2% in the screening year ending March 2023.
| Region | proportion offered appointment within 6 weeks (%) |
|---|---|
| England | 73.9 |
| East of England | 91.3 |
| London | 63.0 |
| Midlands | 81.1 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 60.9 |
| North West | 80.5 |
| South East | 66.7 |
| South West | 82.9 |
Figure 30: Cervical screening – offered a colposcopy appointment within 6 weeks of referral due to a positive HR-HPV test and negative or borderline or low-grade dyskaryosis cytology, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
Standard CSP-S11 is important to ensure that individuals are seen within 6 weeks of their abnormal screening result for further assessment. This ensures timely management and reduces anxiety.
In the screening year 2023 to 2024, referrals due to positive high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) with a negative cytology result are recorded in the ‘other’ referral indication category alongside the small number of referrals not due to a screening abnormality or clinical indication. Clinics were only able to report the ‘other’ category as a whole and this was taken as an indication for HR-HPV positive with negative referrals. It is therefore possible that actual practice is better than the performance reported here.
The minimum rate reported was 3.1%.
The data shows that 32 of 185 clinics reported >=99% of all such referrals were offered an appointment within 6 weeks.
Figure 31: CSP-S11: individuals offered a colposcopy within 6 weeks of referral due to a positive HR-HPV test and negative or borderline or low-grade dyskaryosis cytology, England, screening year ending March 2018 to the screening year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows a slight decrease from 95.8% to 93.0% over the screening years ending March 2018 to 2020. A large decrease to 72.5% in the year ending March 2021, an increase to 75.5% in the year ending March 2022 and a slight decrease to 75.2% in the year ending March 2023. This was followed by a slight decrease to 73.9% in the year ending 2024.
| Region | Performance < acceptable | Acceptable range | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 13 | 7 | 20 |
| London | 19 | 4 | 23 |
| Midlands | 32 | 3 | 35 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 32 | 5 | 37 |
| North West | 18 | 7 | 25 |
| South East | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| South West | 18 | 6 | 24 |
Figure 32: CSP-S11: HPV positive referrals offered appointment within 6 weeks, number of clinics below or within the acceptable range, by region, screening year 2023 to 2024.
CSP-S12: colposcopy – intervention or treatment (2-week appointment)
92.6% of individuals referred for colposcopy after a cytological report of high grade dyskaryosis (moderate) or worse were offered an appointment within 2 weeks of referral (the acceptable threshold is 93%). The overall number of such referrals was 27,510. This is slightly lower than the 93.3% reported in the screening year ending March 2023.
| Region | proportion offered appointment within 2 weeks (%) |
|---|---|
| England | 92.6 |
| East of England | 93.3 |
| London | 96.7 |
| Midlands | 89.8 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 94.7 |
| North West | 89.4 |
| South East | 92.6 |
| South West | 89.4 |
Figure 33: Cervical screening – individuals offered a colposcopy within 2 weeks of referral due to a high grade (moderate dyskaryosis or worse) cytology result, England, screening year 2023 to 2024.
Standard CSP-S12 is important to ensure that individuals are seen within 2 weeks of a high grade abnormal result for further assessment to ensure timely management and to reduce anxiety.
The minimum rate reported was 15.8%.
The data show that 126 of 185 clinics reported that >=93% of all high grade referrals were offered an appointment within 2 weeks.
Figure 34: CSP-S12: individuals offered a colposcopy within 2 weeks of a cytological report of high grade dyskaryosis (moderate) or worse, England, screening year ending March 2016 to the year ending March 2024.
The line graph above shows a very gradual decline from 95.0% in the screening year ending March 2017 to 92.6% - slightly below the acceptable threshold - in the screening year ending March 2024.
| Region | Performance < acceptable | Acceptable range | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 8 | 12 | 20 |
| London | 4 | 19 | 23 |
| Midlands | 16 | 19 | 35 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 4 | 33 | 37 |
| North West | 10 | 15 | 25 |
| South East | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| South West | 10 | 14 | 24 |
Figure 35: CSP-S12: high grade referrals offered a colposcopy appointment within 2 weeks, number of clinics below or within the acceptable range and the total, by region, screening year 2023 to 2024.
5. Terminology
The NHS Cervical screening Programme is offered to women and people with a cervix between the ages of 24 years and 6 months and 64 years. Over 3 million people are tested in England every year. Within this report, where the term “women” is used, this means women and people with a cervix.
The cervical screening programme sends invitations to individuals who are registered as female or indeterminate. If a person has changed their gender registered on their primary care medical records to male, they will no longer automatically receive invitations from the programme, however, they remain eligible to have screening if they have a cervix. The screening should be organised from the GP practice who would take on the responsibility for inviting for screening at the required screening intervals.
Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is the medical term for abnormal cells in the cervix. CIN is not cancer, but it can sometimes go on to develop into cancer.
CIN is graded CIN 1, 2 or 3, where:
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CIN 1 (low grade) means the abnormality is unlikely to develop into cancer as the cells will often go back to normal on their own
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CIN 2 or 3 (high grade) means there is a greater chance the cells could develop into cancer; women with CIN 2 or 3 are usually offered treatment. Women with CIN2 who meet specific clinical criteria may be offered conservative management rather than immediate treatment.
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Cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia (CGIN), also known as adenocarcinoma in situ, is an abnormality of the glandular tissue in the cervix; for any grade of CGIN, treatment will be offered
Information about cervical screening standards and service specifications is available.