Breaking down the barriers to cervical cancer screening

Aim

There are more than 3000 new diagnoses of cervical cancer each year in the UK. To treat cervical cancer effectively it is important to find it early. We do this by asking women aged between 25 and 64 to come to screening appointments (called smears).

However, many women choose not to attend these appointments, especially in areas of London. This may be for a number of reasons including not understanding why the appointment is necessary, not having time to go or previous bad experiences.

We are developing a new way of undertaking the invitations for cervical screening which we hope will enable us to make invitation more personalised and reduce the barriers women face to attend.  

We are planning a series of research projects to test whether this new system will improve attendance. We are inviting interested people to join us at a short focus group where they will be able to plan and improve our plans, and input on how we conduct our research. 

We will also be looking for a public partner for these future projects, who can be involved in a series of different projects across this research area to support our planning and conduct of the research. The partner will also have a say in the message we create and how its rolled out.

Volunteer Criteria

We are looking for women over the age of 25, who live in London who has been invited previously to cervical screening programme. You do not need to have attended to take part.

What will I be asked to do?

Members will be asked to join us at a short focus group where we will discuss our plans and ask for feedback. We will also be exploring individuals’ perspectives on what could be improved with cervical screening.

When and where?

We will be undertaking the focus group online via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. There will be no travel or need for in-person work.

The focus group will take place at the beginning of August and last for approximately 1 hour.

Will I get anything for taking part?

Reimbursement for time will be organised. This will be in the form of Amazon vouchers. You will also get the rare opportunity to be involved in developing a new way for the cervical screening services to invite women, learn more about this topic and use your experiences to help create a research trial.

How do I take part?

To express your interest please complete the short pre-focus gorup questionnaire by clicking on the 'I would like to take part' button at the top of the page or going to:

https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5hXst6eUECdPABE

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and you will be informed of the outcome shortly after you submit your expression of interest.