THE Glasgow Times smear campaign has been praised by the Scottish Government as it vowed to work towards eliminating cervical cancer.

The Don’t Fear the Smear campaign has vowed to increase screening uptake and reduce waiting times for both initial results and follow-up colposcopy appointments.

As cervical cancer awareness week continues, the Scottish Government said the year-long pledge has been “so important” in driving women to attend the potentially life-saving tests.

As part of its new 10-year cancer strategy, Holyrood has vowed to optimise screening and increase human papillomavirus (HPV) rates across the country.

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has been running a variety of events throughout the week in order to increase awareness of the disease, which is the most common form of cancer in women under 35.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Jo’s Trust has done outstanding work in raising awareness of cervical cancer prevention and is a key partner. The Glasgow Times campaign, Don’t Fear the Smear, has been so important in helping encourage women to attend cervical screening appointments which is vital for making further strides in tackling cervical cancer.

“The incidence of cervical cancer has decreased to the lowest recorded at 9.4 cases per 100,000 persons in 2020, the latest year for which data is available. Despite this success, it is disappointing that uptake of the screening programme is below the Healthcare Improvement Scotland target of 80%, and that uptake during 2021/22 has fallen from 2020/21.

“We recognise that the reasons for this are complex and that the impacts of COVID-19 may still be playing a part. We are working closely with partners to understand if there are any other contributory factors, and to increase uptake once again. We are committed to increasing the uptake of cervical screening for all that are eligible and to decreasing the incidence of cervical cancer in Scotland.”

As patients face a wait of up to 52 weeks for follow-up colposcopy appointments, improvements are being made with smear test results.

A target of 14 days for initial results has fallen to as long as eight weeks due to laboratory staff issues, however, numbers are showing improvement with 75% of patients across Scotland now receiving answers within the two-week mark.

They added: “Progress is being made and we will continue to take steps towards the World Health Organisation’s targets to eliminate cervical cancer. We will also ensure work is carried out to address inequalities that population-level targets would not. This includes introducing a one-dose schedule of the HPV vaccine, increasing screening uptake, and continued investment in cancer treatment.

“We committed £2million over 2021/22 and 2022/23 to tackle inequalities in the cancer screening programmes. This funding has supported Health Boards to develop local initiatives to meet the needs of their populations; development of better data capabilities so interventions can be more targeted; and work to raise the profile of screening among specific groups. In 23/24, an additional £1 million will be provided to build on this work.”