The ACCESS UK Consensus Group, along with leading health sector organisations, has sent a joint letter to Ashley Dalton MP, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and Baroness Merron, Minister for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health. The joint letter reaffirms support for the national goal to eliminate cervical cancer and urges the Government to provide clarity on accountability for the implementation of the NHS England elimination plan.
The coalition welcomes NHS England’s ‘Cervical Cancer Elimination by 2040, published in March 2025, and its ambition to reduce cervical cancer incidence to below 4 per 100,000. However, the letter highlights key concerns about how the plan will be delivered. It makes two specific calls for action:
- Accountability mechanisms relating to the elimination plan
- Retention of NHS England’s cervical screening expertise
These priorities reflect the consensus statement launched at the ACCESS-hosted roundtable on 30 April 2025, where stakeholders from across sectors demonstrated a shared commitment to driving the elimination effort forward. Among the key themes discussed:
- An equity-first approach to raise HPV vaccination and screening rates among underserved groups
- Improved data collection across protected characteristics (e.g. gender, ethnicity, disability) to help co-design tailored interventions
- Harnessing social media and innovative communication to positively influence screening and vaccination uptake
- Clear public messaging on the benefits and limitations of HPV self-sampling, ahead of its potential rollout for the under-screened
With the new NHS 10-Year Health Plan expected to be published imminently, with a focus on shifting the NHS towards preventive care, and the introduction of changes to cervical screening intervals and self-sampling for the under-screened, now is a pivotal moment to embed cervical cancer elimination into long-term national policy.
Signatory organisations to the letter include:
- ACCESS Consensus Group
- The Eve Appeal
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare
- Royal College of Nursing
- Healthwatch England