Smear tests could soon be free

Wednesday 31 October 2018

Plans are being put together to provide free cervical screening smears for women, who currently have to pay for the vital tests.

Health and Social Care President, Deputy Heidi Soulsby, said she wants to provide more preventative services, like smear tests, free of charge as it will save money in the long run if fewer women need treatment later on in life.

With that aim in mind, the Committee for Health & Social Care said it is "putting plans in place to make sure that cervical screening is free at the point of use to all women who are eligible for a test."

Currently charges vary between surgeries, with some women paying up to £86 for a smear test with a doctor, or £64 with a nurse (both charges for smear tests through Island Health surgeries). Smear tests can also be carried out for free at the hospital through the Orchard sexual health clinic. 

Pictured: Some women 'fear the smear' for various reasons, but HSC wants to remove the cost from that. 

The change could come in next year, if all States members support the idea, when it is discussed as part of the 2019 Budget debate next week. 

HSC will argue that most women in Guernsey and Alderney have to pay for cervical screening, but they want to bring the service in line with bowel and breast cancer screening, both of which are free.

HSC President, Deputy Heidi Soulsby, said as well as helping many women, offering smear tests for free will also save the island money.

"We know that preventive services – like screening, which picks up on early warning signs of disease and stops it developing into a major health problem – save the health and care system a lot of money in the long term, as people live well for longer, and are less likely to need expensive, life-saving treatments. 

"That's why it's really important to make sure that screening services are easy for islanders to access, and people aren't put off by financial costs or other practical barriers. We believe that making cervical screening free at the point of use will encourage more women to take it up, and will be a really positive development for the health of the Bailiwick."

Pictured: Deputy Heidi Soulsby, President of Health and Social Care. 

Guernsey has already made some moves towards improving provision of cervical care programmes. Earlier this year, Guernsey and Alderney both switched over to the HPV [Human Papilloma Virus] test, ahead of the roll out across the whole of England by 2019 and "in line with best practice, allowing local women to benefit from the most modern cervical screening technologies."

HSC said that also goes in hand with the introduction of free contraception for young people under the age of 21, which was a joint project between HSC and the Committee for Employment & Social Security – and was described as "another step forward for women's sexual and reproductive health."

If cervical cancer screening tests are made free, the changes will be led by HSC's Public Health team, and Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink.

She said, “I welcome this initiative as a key step forward to providing equitable access to screening services for all. The Public Health Team will now work on developing a programme to implement this exciting initiative”.

As no date has yet been set for the launch of the free service, any woman who is due to have a cervical screening test is advised to go ahead with it as usual.

Pictured top: The cost could be removed as a barrier for some women who are due a smear test.