CANCER
WOMEN’S HEALTH
CervicalCheck expands screening access
Women can go to any GP practice or clinic registered with CervicalCheck for their free screening test
January 20, 2025
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Cervical screening is being offered in Limerick Female Prison as well as a number of Ireland’s sexual assault treatment units (SATUs), according to ANP Connie McGilloway, who set up a follow-up clinic in the Donegal SATU in Letterkenny.
Ms McGilloway, who is also forensic clinical examiner at the unit, developed the follow-up clinic after noting that many of the women attending the unit were not up to date with their screening appointments.
“Since 2017, our SATU follow-up clinic has been providing cervical screening to women in a trauma-informed, non-judgmental environment where they feel safe. Our work is supported by CervicalCheck and Letterkenny University Hospital gynaecological service,” Ms McGilloway said.
“For a woman who has suffered some form of unwanted sexual contact, the trauma of that intimate examination can be overwhelming.”
More than 4,000 healthcare professionals across the country provide CervicalCheck screening across a range of community and healthcare settings.
The most effective action women aged 25 to 65 can take to prevent cervical cancer is to attend their screening appointments, including follow-up appointments if advised.
Women can go to any GP practice or clinic registered with CervicalCheck for their free screening test. Women do not need to be registered with a GP practice to request a screening test from them.
CervicalCheck offers HPV cervical screening every three years to women aged 25 to 29; and every five years to those aged 30 to 65 years.
Cervical screening is for women who do not have any symptoms of cervical cancer, however it is vital to remind your female patients never to ignore symptoms they suspect to be indicative of cervical cancer.
Visit www.hse.ie/cervicalcheck for more information.