Cervical screening

Healthcare professionals play a vital role in supporting people to make informed decisions about participating in cervical screening.

Last reviewed: 30 June 2025

Overview

Cervical screening is available to women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 to 64 in the UK.

A healthcare professional will take a sample of cells from the cervix. The sample is then tested for human papillomavirus (HPV) as nearly all cases of cervical cancer are linked to high-risk HPV. If positive, the sample will be examined further for changes in the cervical cells which could develop into cancer if left untreated.

It’s estimated that cervical screening saves at least 2,000 lives each year in the UK. And now that human papillomavirus (HPV) primary testing and vaccination have been implemented across the UK, we can expect to see cervical cancer incidence decrease even further, with more lives predicted to be saved.

Primary care plays an important role in supporting informed participation in cervical screening. We've developed a good practice guide which provides tips, information and resources to help GP practices support informed choice and address patient barriers to screening.

Read our cervical good practice guide

Eligibility

A person’s nation, age and HPV status determine how often they’re invited to take part in cervical screening.

In 2025, the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) recommended that all people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 are invited for cervical screening every five years instead of every three years. England, Wales and Scotland extended their screening intervals in line with this recommendation, and Northern Ireland may do the same in the future.

A breakdown of eligibility by nation and HPV status for people aged 25-64:

This is a caption table example
Nation	HPV negative	HPV positive
England	People aged 25-64 are invited to cervical screening every five years*.	People who are HPV positive but received a negative cytology result at their last cervical screening test are offered yearly surveillance.
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland	People who are aged 25-49 will be invited every three years. People aged 50-64 are invited every five years.

^{*Note: In England, people who are HPV negative and were last invited to screening before 1 July 2025 will still be on a three-year interval.}

For people aged 64 and above:

In England: people aged 65+ are only routinely invited if they are under surveillance because of recent abnormal results.
In Scotland: people will be screened up until the age of 70 if a previous screening appointment detects changes that require follow-up.
In Wales: those who have had abnormal results from a previous cervical screening appointment will receive invitations after the age of 64.
In Northern Ireland: people under follow-up for abnormalities may continue surveillance beyond routine screening age.

HPV self-sampling

HPV self-sampling (or self-testing as it’s referred to in England) is being gradually introduced across parts of the UK as an additional option for specific groups of people who are under-screened. The aim is to support people to access cervical screening. Read more about self-sampling implementation and research here.