Top national award given to Hammersmith and Fulham cervical screening project

23 Jan 2020

The Hammersmith and Fulham GP Federation initiative has been awarded the top prize by charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust in their annual Cervical Screening Awards.

The project, implemented in collaboration with RM Partners as part of a wider programme of our work to improve cervical screening participation, established a dedicated cervical screening project team and delivered cervical screening clinics at practices easily accessible by public transport and in areas requiring specific attention, such as those with lowest uptake or particularly deprived areas.

Cervical screening provides the best protection against cervical cancer, however one in four women do not participate when invited. Hammersmith and Fulham has one of the lowest cervical screening uptake rates in England, with just over half of eligible women taking up their invitation in 2019

The team proactively reached out to women who were overdue cervical screening, to encourage them to book an appointment. Dedicated drop in clinics were held at accessible times such as evenings and weekends. The team also designed a bespoke video to publicise the service, which has been viewed over 52,000 times, as well as communications aimed at black and minority ethnic women, a group who were underrepresented at screening in the area.

Nicola Hunt, RM Partners Managing Director, said: ‘This award is a fantastic acknowledgement of all the hard work that has been done to increase cervical screening participation in the borough by making the tests more accessible. Early diagnosis is key to improving survival from cancer, and we are proud to have been partners with Hammersmith and Fulham on this successful initiative.’

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust created the Cervical Screening Awards in 2010 to acknowledge organisations working to increase awareness and attendance in their areas. The winners were announced during this year’s Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (20-26 January).

Find out more on the Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust website.

Find out more about the Cervical Screening Awards.