All women between 25-65yrs are included in
the recall system and will receive letters
inviting them to attend for a smear test every
3-5 years. Patients aged 25-48 yrs are recalled
every three years and those patients 49 yrs
onwards are recalled every 5 years as per
government guidelines. The smears are normally
undertaken by the Practice nurse by appointment.
Test results are sent to the patients’ home
address and can take up to 8 weeks.
Cervical cancer can often be prevented.
Cervical screening is not a test for diagnosing
cervical cancer but to look for early warning
signs of change. For many women the test results
show that everything is fine. For 1 in 10 women,
the test shows changes in cells that can be
caused by many things. Most of these changes
will not lead to cancer but may require further
investigation.
