Cervical screening changes set to start in Jersey

Patients in Jersey will receive a more personalised cervical screening service from July, health bosses have said.

The Government of Jersey said it would be following recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee due to more accurate human papillomavirus (HPV) testing being available.

The screening detects HPV – the type of infection which is the main cause of cervical cancer.

The changes meant patients deemed to be at a low risk of cervical cancer would be tested less frequently, the government added.

From July, women or people with a cervix who are aged 25 to 49 and test negative, or have previously tested negative for HPV and therefore at low risk of cervical cancer, will be invited to screenings at five-year intervals rather than three, the government said.

Those whose samples indicated the presence of HPV, or had a recent history of HPV, would continue to be invited to more frequent screenings, it added.

Dr Fiona Nelson, clinical lead for cervical screening, said the new HPV test picked up problems earlier than older screening methods.

Dr Nelson added: “The HPV test is an objective test which means the sample is not dependent on a person looking at cells and making a judgment and this means there are fewer missed cases.”