Cervical Cancer
COVID-19 Update from the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program as at 27 April 2020:
The National Cervical Screening Program is encouraging healthcare providers to continue to offer routine screening and follow up, understanding that patients may be feeling uncomfortable about attending for screening and healthcare providers/clinics have different capacities and arrangements for managing their patients.
To support your patients during this time, please refer to:
- Guidance for managing National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) participants during the COVID-19 Pandemic – to assist clinician decision-making on screening appointments.
- Recommended management of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the cancellation of elective surgeries – for the management of patients requiring further investigation and treatment.
This guidance is supported by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Australian Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology.
Future updates will be provided on the Department of Health Cancer Screening website.
If you or your staff have any further queries, please email cancerscreening@health.gov.au
Cervical Cancer Screening Program Officers
Lauren Walker | l.walker@cesphn.com.au
Stephanie Walker | s.walker@cesphn.com.au
Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable – but screening is vital. Around 80 per cent of Australian women who develop cervical cancer do not get screened regularly as recommended, or have never been screened.
From 1 December 2017, women in Australia are benefiting from a new and more effective screening test for cervical cancer — it’s more accurate and requires testing less often.
- The National Cervical Screening Program Guidelines for 1 December 2017 onwards, can now be accessed at the Cancer Council Australia website.
- Education and Training courses for GPs and practice nurses can be found at Family Planning NSW.
- The Pathology Test Guide for Cervical and Vaginal testing provides context for using the variations of cervical screening and shows what to write on the pathology request form on the Dept of Health website.
- Understanding the National Cervical Screening Program Management Pathway: a guide for health professionals is also a useful reference to help ensure the correct test is requested from the Dept of Health website.
- A comprehensive summary of information about the Renewal of the National Cervical Screening Program, resources for patients and where to go for more details can be found at the Cancer Institute NSW
CESPHN can work with practices to ensure female patients are screened through:
- Support to implement recall and reminder systems
- Support to ientify patients due and overdue for screening
- Support to implement recall and reminder systemes
- Provision of appropriate resources
- Cancer Council
- Cancer Council National GP PortalCancer Council National GP Portal
- Cancer Institute
- National Cervical Screening Program
- National Cancer Screening RegisterNational Cancer Screening Register
- Family Planning NSW
- Pregnancy, Birth & Baby
- Camp Quality
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Screening with a disability - Cervical, breast and bowel screening is important for all people, but we know that people with intellectual disability are not screened as often as they should. FPNSW have produced screening resources for people with an intellectual disability.