Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals (DBH) has pledged to support ‘Time to Test’, a campaign rolled out by UK charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. The campaign aims to raise awareness of cervical cancer prevention in the workplace, ensuring female employees can access vital screening.
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that develops in a woman’s cervix, often without symptoms. With over 3,000 diagnosed cases each year, the cancer is one of the most common in women aged 35 and under. The ‘Time to Test’ campaign asks employers to give female colleagues time to attend potentially life-saving screening appointments, if they cannot outside of working hours.
Helen Houghton, DBH’s Health and Wellbeing Lead, said: “The health of our employees is incredibly important to us. If our female members of staff are unable to get an appointment outside of working hours, we have committed to finding a way to make sure they can attend even if this means doing so during their working day. Signing up to the campaign reinforces our commitment to promote the importance of screening and will ensure our employees don’t feel there are barriers in place that stop them from attending all-important screening appointments.”
The Trust has a dedicated Screening Communications and Engagement Team whom proactively raise awareness of cervical screening through workshops and information stands throughout the Trust and across the whole of South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw.
Bel O’Leary, NHS England’s Screening and Immunisation Co-ordinator for Doncaster, said: ‘It is fantastic that Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals are proactively protecting the health of their female employees by ensuring they can attend cervical screening appointments during working hours. It is estimated that early detection and treatment through cervical screening can prevent up to 75% of cervical cancers from developing.
“In South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, 1 in 5 women are choosing not to be screened. We hope that other organisations across the area will follow the Trust’s lead by signing up to the ‘Time to Test’ campaign and hopefully we can start to reverse this trend.”
Women aged between 25 and 49 are invited every three years for cervical screening and five years if aged between 50 and 64.Women who have missed their cervical screening appointment are encouraged to contact their local GP to book an appointment.
For more information on cervical screening, the facts and getting ready for your smear, visit fearorsmear.dbh.nhs.uk. If you work for an organisation and would like the Trusts Cervical Screening Communications Team to deliver a workshop or stand at your workplace contact katie.storer@dbh.nhs.uk.