Routine smear tests are now every five years – not three
12:54, 21 Jul 2025Updated 05:46, 13 Sep 2025
Rachel Bennett launched the smear test petition in June
A woman who had a near-miss experience with cervical cancer has launched an online petition – calling for the NHS to reverse its new smear test rule. The NHS England change – introduced in July – means routine smear tests now take place every five years rather than three.
Rachel Bennett, of Stoke, says her smear test in August 2022 revealed she had CIN3 cells present in her cervix. If left untreated, these ‘severely abnormal’ cells can lead to cervical cancer.
Thankfully, the 34-year-old had the problem cells successfully removed in January 2023. But she believes that the smear test saved her from a much worse diagnosis – and fears the recent change could leave others not so lucky.
Rachel said: “I have been speaking to lots of women about their experiences with smear tests. There are many women who have had their negative smear test who then either develop cancer or pre-cancerous cells three years later. But now women will have to wait five years. In that time, the chance of a good outcome is reduced.
“I understand that not everybody might agree with me. There’s obviously some scientific-based reason behind the change. But there are cases where women could have had a much worse diagnosis if they were checked later than they had been. I just feel we shouldn’t fix something that isn’t broken.
“If anything, we should be encouraging women to get checked more often. NHS England reported that between 2023 and 2024, only 68.8% of women were screened within the recommended timeframe. Extending the interval between tests could lead to fewer women attending. Many already miss tests due to having busy lives.
“You can think everything is okay and then you find out on the test that things could have headed down a very different direction. Having that near-miss experience has definitely made me recognise the importance of the smear tests. I’ve always had mine done and I’ve always been a big advocate for it. My mum had frequent issues detected through her smear tests, so she always drummed their value into me. Personally, I would like this decision to be reversed. I want the three-year protection to be put back into place. I don’t think the five-year gap is good enough.”
Thousands of people have signed Rachel’s petition.
But NHS England maintains its decision has been justified by improvements in testing.
An NHS England spokesperson said: “We recognise that changes to cervical screening can seem worrying but want to reassure everyone that this new approach is based on robust scientific evidence and an expert recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee. The NHS cervical screening programme tests for human papillomavirus (HPV) and uses a better and more accurate test than before. This means if you test negative for HPV, you don’t need to be screened as often as your risk of developing cervical cancer is very low. If you test positive for HPV, we’ll monitor you more closely with additional tests and follow-up appointments. This personalised approach ensures everyone receives the right level of screening based on their individual risk factors, providing better protection while reducing unnecessary procedures.”
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