Women in Barnsley will now be able to access cervical screening appointments in Barnsley at evening and weekends, in a drive to help women get appointments at a time most suitable to them. 

Nurses from the iHEART Barnsley service will be offering cervical screening appointments on Tuesday evenings 6:30pm-10:30pm and on Sundays from 10am-2pm at Chapelfield Medical Centre in Wombwell. Appointments can be booked in advance by contacting your GP Surgery and asking to be referred to i-Heart’s screening service.

Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, but a pre-cancer screening to notice any changes to the cervix before they become a problem, and 95% of screenings come back negative. Cervical cancer is rare, making up less than 1% of all cancer cases, mainly because smear tests are good at catching and treating potential problems early enough to prevent it.

Dr Hussain Kadarsha, GP at Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group said: “Cervical cancer is one of the cancers that can be prevented through screening by picking up early changes in the cells before the disease develops. So being able to offer extended access to cervical screening appointments is a great thing for women in Barnsley. We’ve seen drop in and evening sessions prove really popular recently. We’re hoping to see these opening times encourage more women to have their screening.

“We know that younger women aged 25-49 in South Yorkshire are less likely to attend a smear test which is obviously a concern, as cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women aged under 35, with 8 women a day being diagnosed with the disease in the UK.”

“It can be prevented and the best way for women to protect themselves against cervical cancer is by taking up their cervical screening appointments. 

“We know that many women don’t attend their appointment for a variety of reasons, but we want to make sure that appointments are available at the best times to suit them.”

“For anybody asking those questions I would encourage them to visit the “Fear or Smear” website where there is lots of information on preparing for your smear test, including facts about the process and stories from other women.”