Home smear tests will be trialled by thousands of women in a bid to tackle cervical cancer. 

More than 31,000 women will be given kits to carry out the tests in their own home as part of a trial that could be rolled out across England.

The tests are usually conducted by health professionals in a GP surgery or health centre and detect strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most forms of cervical cancer.

But many women miss their check-ups due to issues such as embarrassment, fear or cultural barriers – or more recently, worries about catching COVID-19.

Charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust said that during the first wave of the pandemic, it had seen a “growing level of anxiety and confusion” among women calling its helpline.

In the first week of June, a survey of 851 women suggested a quarter worried they would catch coronavirus if they went to a screening, while 13% thought it was best to put off going.

The home test kits will initially be sent in the post to women aged between 25 and 64 who are 15 months overdue for a check and live in the London boroughs of Barnet, Islington, Newham and Tower Hamlets – where screening appointment attendance is low.

Women who attend GP surgeries involved in the trial and are six months overdue for their test will also be offered a kit.

Those sent kits will follow instructions on the test and then post their swabs back for analysis, before receiving their results in the mail.

If HPV is detected, they will be contacted for a follow-up appointment.

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Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer for the NHS in England, said: “GPs have taken extra precautions to make surgeries safe, and these home kits give thousands of women another option to keep up to date with their screening.

“We would urge every woman to make sure they have their smear test – the earlier HPV is detected the better. It could save your life.”

Dr Anita Lim, who is leading the study, said the trials are a “game-changer” and could be “life-saving”.

“Women who don’t come for regular screening are at the highest risk of developing cervical cancer, so it is crucial that we find ways like this to make screening easier and protect women from what is a largely preventable cancer,” she said.

The study will run until December 2021.

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