Petition · Department of Health and Social Care
Fund cervical screening every 3 yrs or more frequently, lower minimum age to 18
Closed
226 signatures
What the petition asks
Reduce the age at which routine cervical screening is first offered, to 18. Require routine testing every 3 years, fully funded, rather than 5 years, for non HPV positive individuals and increase funding for more frequent testing.
There were 251,251 women referred for a colposcopy during 2023/24. Many of these women likely would not have been sent for a colposcopy had there not been changes detected in their smear testing. Its previously been estimated that cervical screening only prevents around 70% of cervical cancer deaths in England. Women deserve the right to have the confidence that cancer that can show no signs in initial stages be tested for on a regular basis.
Timeline
| 17 Jul 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 17 Jan 2026 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
226
Status
Closed
Department
Department of Health and Social Care
Opened
17 Jul 2025
Closed
17 Jan 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 7 Aug 2026.