This dataset presents the percentage of eligible women aged 50 to 64 who have had an adequate cervical screening test recorded within the previous 5.5 years. Cervical screening helps identify abnormal cell changes in the cervix at an early stage, before they have the potential to develop into cervical cancer. For women in this older age group, the recommended screening interval is every five years, making 5.5-year coverage the appropriate measure of up-to-date participation. Monitoring coverage at practice and local level supports targeted efforts to improve uptake and reduce preventable cervical cancer cases.
Rationale
While cervical cancer incidence peaks in younger women, women aged 50 to 64 remain at risk and regular screening continues to play an important protective role for this group. The transition from three-yearly to five-yearly screening at age 50 reflects updated clinical guidance, and ensuring women remain engaged with the programme through this transition is an important public health challenge. Tracking coverage locally enables commissioners and practices to identify cohorts with lower uptake and to address barriers such as menopause-related concerns, changes in GP registration, or reduced awareness of ongoing eligibility.
Numerator
The numerator is the number of eligible women aged 50 to 64, registered at the practice on the last day of the review period, who had an adequate cervical screening test recorded in the previous 5.5 years, sourced from the NHS England Cervical Screening Programme.
Denominator
The denominator is the total number of eligible women aged 50 to 64 registered at the practice on the last day of the review period, also sourced from the NHS England Cervical Screening Programme.
Caveats
Users should exercise caution when interpreting data at practice level. For some practices, this indicator may be based on a small number of patients, meaning that random variation can produce apparently large changes over time or apparently significant differences when compared to other areas. Small-number volatility should always be considered before drawing conclusions from practice-level figures, and aggregated or trend data should be used where possible to provide a more stable picture. Users should also note a potential inconsistency in the source metadata for this indicator, where the numerator definition references a 42-month window — this is believed to be an error and the correct screening window for this age group is 5.5 years, consistent with the indicator description and NHS policy.
External References
Data is sourced from the NHS England Cervical Screening Programme (CSP). The indicator is also available through the OHID Fingertips platform, published by the Department of Health and Social Care:
Click here to explore more from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnerships Outcome Framework.