By Steph Brawn and Claire Miller
Nearly a third of women in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) area were not up to date with their cervical screening tests ahead of the pandemic, statistics have revealed.
Health board figures - which have been analysed by the Reach Data Unit - show 32.3 per cent of women aged 25 to 63 had not had all their necessary smear tests in 2019/20 before the coronavirus crisis disrupted services.
The NHSGGC rate - which includes women living in Renfrewshire - is the worst in Scotland.
Charities are now urging women to get their tests booked in a bid to avoid cancer cases rising.
National screening programmes were paused in March 2020 because of the covid outbreak, with cervical cancer checks restarting from late June for those who had appointments cancelled and those seen more frequently.
Invitations for routine checks resumed later last year.
Samantha Dixon, chief executive of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, insisted smear tests are still the best protection against cancer.
She said: "While cervical cancer is rare and usually develops slowly, a rise in diagnoses of higher grade cell changes and cervical cancers is something we are sadly anticipating.
“Cervical screening remains the best protection against cervical cancer, preventing thousands of diagnoses every year. It is essential that we continue to shout about this, and make sure everyone who has questions or needs support knows where to find it.”
Screening coverage for those aged 25 to 49 in NHSGGC - who should be tested every three-and-a-half years - had dropped to 64.2 per cent in 2019/20 from 66.7 per cent the year before and 67.2 in 2016/17.
The latest data suggests 75,359 women in this age group in the area are not up-to-date with the life-saving check.
Younger women are the least likely to get checked, with just 53 per cent of those aged 25 to 49 up-to-date in 2019/20, compared to 72 per cent of those aged 45 to 49.
And women who live in the most deprived areas of NHSGGC are less likely to be on top of their tests, with 64.9 per cent having had a check recently compared to 70.8 per cent in the least deprived areas.
Dr Bella Smith, ambassador for the Eve Appeal gynaecological cancer research charity, said the reasons people were not attending included embarrassment and lack of awareness.
"There are many reasons why women are not attending their screening tests ranging from poor access to appointments, difficulty to attend or be examined due to physical disabilities, cultural and language barriers, lack of awareness, and embarrassment," said Dr Smith.
“In fact, the number of women attending their cervical screening has been decreasing over the past 25 years and this has been exacerbated even more during the Covid pandemic.
“The Eve Appeal is encouraging all women who are due their cervical screening to book it in with their GP surgery."
