Moves are under way to encourage more women who have experienced sexual trauma to come forward for cervical screening.
A project spearheaded through The Queen’s Nursing Institute is setting up two focus groups to develop a specialised screening programme across primary care and is seeking both women with lived experience and staff who undertake cervical screening to take part.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and the most effective strategy for detecting and therefore treating it, is through cervical screening. However, women who have experienced sexual violence have lower levels of cervical screening uptake than the general population.
It is hoped that the focus groups will be able to identify the local prevalence rates of women who are eligible, the barriers to attendance and what measures are needed to improve the experience for them.
Hazel Somerville, NHS Forth Valley’s Gender Based Violence and Sexual Assault Service Lead said: “The outcome of the project is about women reclaiming power over their lives, their bodies and their choices.
“The aim is to ensure women who have previous experience of sexual trauma are able to engage in cervical screening with a sense of safety and reduce the likelihood of re-traumatisation. In turn, this increases the likelihood of early identification of signs of cervical cancer and improved health outcomes.”
If you are interested in joining a focus group or want to know more, please contact:
Hazel Somerville, Gender-Based Violence & Sexual Assault Service Lead
Telephone: 01324 574375 or email: fv.themeadows@nhs.scot
