Making HPV testing easier.
The first phase of a programme offering HPV self-sampling kits to women who never or rarely attend for cervical screening has been launched as part of wider action to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
The initial phase will run across 22 GP practices in four health board areas – NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Lothian – with the aim of reaching 17,000 women. These GP practices have been selected because of higher levels of deprivation, combined with high numbers of under-screened women, where evidence shows cervical cancer outcomes are often worse.
The kit allows women to take a sample themselves for human papillomavirus (HPV) – the virus that can cause cervical cancer – without the need for a clinical appointment, unless HPV is found in the sample. Kits will be offered to women over 30 who have either never attended cervical screening or who have not attended screening for at least 6 years.
Eligible women in participating practices will be offered normal screening either when they visit their GP practice for another reason or through proactive outreach by their practice. If they do not want the standard screen, they will then be offered a self-sampling kit.
Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health Jenni Minto said:
“Cervical cancer is largely preventable, and it is simply unacceptable that a woman’s chances of developing it can be shaped by where she lives. This pilot is about reaching the women our screening programme has not always served well and making it as easy as possible for them to take that first step.
“A self-sampling kit means women can test themselves, in private, at a time that suits them – removing some of the very real barriers that stop people coming forward. I would encourage every woman who is offered a kit to use it. It could save their life.”
The launch forms part of Scotland’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan, which will be published on 25 March 2026, and aims to achieve population-wide elimination by 2040.
Learning from the pilot will inform the national expansion of self-sampling across Scotland, which is expected to occur in stages, over time.
Background
HPV (human papillomavirus) is a common virus. Most types are harmless, but some are linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, including cervical cancer. Cervical screening checks for HPV in cervical cells and can identify risk even when someone feels well.
Women aged 25–64 are eligible to be invited for cervical screening in Scotland.
If a self-sample indicates signs of HPV, the individual will be invited for a follow-up, standard cervical screening test, with a clinician.
The UK National Screening Committee recommended in June 2025 that self-sampling can be offered to those who never or rarely attend their routine cervical screening appointments.
Cervical screening in Scotland.