#SmearTestsSaveLives
Cervical screening prevents 75% of cervical cancers from developing yet one in four women don’t attend. You can help us change this!
We want to increase awareness and make it easier for everyone to take up their smear test invitation.
Cervical Screening & HPV Update
Cervical screening and HPV (human papilomavirus) update
What is cervical screening?
Cervical screening (which used to be called the ‘smear test’) involves taking a small sample of cells from the surface of your cervix. The sample is sent to a laboratory and checked under a microscope to see if there are any abnormal cells. Abnormal cells are not cancer, but they could develop into cancer if they are left untreated. Depending on the result of your test, your sample may be tested for the types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer.
As a next step you may be offered another test (called a colposcopy) to look at your cervix more closely. If the person carrying out the colposcopy finds abnormal cells, they will suggest that you have the cells removed, usually during another
colposcopy. This is how screening can prevent cervical cancer. Here is a link to the new Cervical screening leaflet.
Cervical Screening – Cheshire and Merseyside – coming in January 2026
From the start of January 2026 – the Living Well Service will be providing cervical screenings for those who are eligible across Cheshire and Merseyside. No appointment is needed – just turn up to the bus on a day that is convenient for you. The timetable is available below.
https://www.cwp.nhs.uk/livingwellservice
Transgender Patients
Trans men and non-binary people assigned female at birth
Registered with a GP as female
If you are aged 25 to 64 and registered with a GP as female, you will be routinely invited for cervical screening. We recommend that you consider having cervical screening if you have not had a total hysterectomy and still have a cervix.
Registered with a GP as male
If you are aged 25 to 64 and registered with a GP as male, you will not be automatically invited for cervical screening. However, if you have not had a total hysterectomy and still have a cervix, you should still consider having cervical screening. This is especially important if you have had any abnormal cervical screening results in the past.
If you want to ‘opt in’ to receive routine cervical screening invitations, contact us at the practice and we can complete these for you.
Trans women and non-binary people assigned male at birth
If you are a trans woman or non-binary person assigned male at birth, you will not need to be screened as you do not have a cervix.
Registered with a GP as female
If you are registered with a GP as female, you will be routinely invited for cervical screening unless your GP has already told us you’re not eligible. We can update our records so you are not invited unnecessarily.
Registered with a GP as male
If you are registered with a GP as male, you will not be invited for cervical screening.