Hansard

I thank Monica Lennon for bringing the debate to Parliament during cervical cancer prevention week.

Put simply, cervical screening saves lives. Despite that, however, one in four women is not taking up their invitation for a cervical screening, putting themselves at risk of having undetected cervical cancer. It is key that we try to understand why screening attendance is falling, what the barriers are to women getting the test done and how we can ensure that every woman has the information and opportunities that they need to access cervical screening. Bearing in mind that screening is a free health test that is available to every woman in Scotland, it is essential that we acknowledge the barriers and factors that are preventing women from taking up their invitation.

As we have heard, the test can be uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing for many women. It is one of those tick-box exercises that, if put off among a list of countless other things to do, may have no immediate or obvious repercussions. A survey of more than 2,000 women by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust found that a third of young women were too embarrassed to go to their test because of their body shape.

For some women, it is much more difficult to go, possibly because they have had a bad experience at a test or an experience of sexual violence. That is why I was encouraged to hear from Emma Harper about the piloting of self-tests, which I welcome. It is paramount that women are given the information to allow them to overcome those barriers.

If women feel embarrassed about having the test done, they need to be informed—through a public campaign or social media—that they can specify that they want a female nurse, that they need only undress from the waist down and that, for most people, the test is not painful at all.

When reading around the topic, I was encouraged to see celebrities posting on social media about their own smear test experiences. Ten years ago, Jade Goody sadly lost her life to cervical cancer, after which cervical screening rates rose thanks to extensive media coverage and her work to raise awareness.

However, 10 years later, numbers have dipped. Most alarming, in Scotland, the biggest fall in cervical screening take-up is among 25 to 29-year-olds, with more than one in three not taking up their invitation. As cynical as we sometimes might be about social media, the power to raise awareness among that group is great. There are many great campaigns out there that young women and men can join to spread the word among their friendship groups. As we have heard, the #smearforsmear campaign encourages people to share smeared lipstick selfies along with tips and words of support during cervical cancer prevention week.

Innovation is also key. In my hometown of Glasgow, I have had the pleasure of meeting representatives from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust at the be cervix savvy roadshow, once on Buchanan Street and once in George Square as part of its mobile unit service. It was easy to see how information could be easily shared in such prime locations.

Like Monica Lennon, I was pleased to see in the local press last week the initiative of a Glasgow beautician who is offering a free wax treatment to anyone who has a confirmed smear test appointment.

I again thank Monica Lennon for bringing the debate to the chamber during cervical cancer prevention week. We cannot allow the take-up of cervical screening to slip any further or we run the risk of seeing a rise in diagnosis rates of what is often a preventable cancer. There is no quick fix to turn around the situation, but I hope that, by working together and raising awareness, we can save lives.