Petition
Keep cervical screening every 3 years – don’t extend it to 5 years
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
Maintain 3-yearly cervical screening for women aged 25–49, even if they test HPV-negative. Do not extend the interval to 5 years. Retain both HPV and cytology tests, improve public education, and ensure informed consent before any screening changes.
Extending screening to 5 years risks delayed detection of cervical cancer. While HPV testing is more sensitive, false negatives can occur, and some cancers progress rapidly, especially in younger women. A UK study found nearly half of women oppose longer intervals (Marlow et al., 2019). Three-yearly screening has significantly reduced cervical cancer rates—extending the interval could reverse decades of progress in early detection and survival.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign this petition which calls for a similar action: Review the NHS decision to make smear testing every 5 years if HPV negative
Timeline
| 13 Jun 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 2 Jul 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
2 Jul 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Aug 2026.