Cervical screening saves lives, but too many women, especially from minority and low‑income communities are still missing out, and this project lays the groundwork to understand the real barriers they face and identifying what support would genuinely help.
Background
Cervical cancer is largely preventable, yet uptake of cervical screening varies widely between communities. Some areas have particularly low screening rates, especially in more deprived neighbourhoods and in underserved groups. Lower uptake contributes to later diagnosis and potentially avoidable cancer deaths. Locally, initial PCN‑led work has already identified three deprived wards with consistently low screening participation and highlighted barriers women face in accessing screening. There is a clear need to better understand these inequalities and co‑develop more acceptable and accessible approaches to support screening uptake.
The insights and partnerships we build now will feed directly into an NIHR study, with the long‑term aim of creating approaches that can be scaled to reduce preventable cancers and improve health equity.
Project Aims
- To gather early evidence and community insights that will support the development of a future NIHR-funded research study focused on improving cervical screening uptake.
- To work with two contrasting PCNs - one already engaged (Braintree PCN) and one more ethnically diverse PCN, (Tilbury Chadwell PCN in Thurrock) - to better understand local inequalities, barriers, and what kinds of support women feel would help.
- To identify priority underserved groups and begin shaping potential components of a future co‑designed intervention.
Project Activity
- Baseline evidence gathering: Mapping local screening uptake patterns in a second, more diverse PCN, and comparing them with existing work in Braintree PCN.
- Community workshops: Running three workshops in each PCN with patient participation groups and members of the Research Engagement Network to explore barriers, acceptable approaches, and early views on potential intervention ideas.
- Stakeholder engagement: Working with clinicians, academics, community partners, and system leaders (including NHS England and NIHR RSS) to build a collaborative foundation for a future NIHR research study.
- Early co‑design scoping: Identifying potential public contributors and a shortlist of candidate components for a future “core‑plus‑adapted” intervention.
Anticipated or actual outputs
- A summary report describing local inequalities, barriers, and early priorities for intervention components.
- Stronger partnerships across PCNs, academia, NIHR infrastructure, and community members, ensuring any future research is grounded in lived experience and system need.
- A well‑prepared NIHR RfPB application, including evidence of acceptability, need, and feasibility gathered through this PPIE work.
- These outputs will address key gaps in understanding why screening inequalities persist locally and what community‑led solutions may be effective.
- Ultimately, the work lays the foundation for an evidence‑based, co‑designed intervention that could be scaled across the East of England to improve early detection and reduce avoidable cervical cancer deaths.
Who is involved?
- Lucy Jessup, PI, Braintree PCN, Anglia Ruskin University
- Nikolett Hunyadvari - MSE ICB & Anglia Ruskin University
- MSE ICB REN
- Braintree PCN
- Tilbury Chadwell PCN
- MEWA CIC (multicultural Essex women association)
- CARA Essex Charity
Contact
Lucy Jessup - lucy.jessup1@nhs.net
