Tag Archives: nhs

NHS Rolls Out ‘Life-Saving’ Home Tests For Women Who’ve Missed Cervical Screens

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Cervical screenings are key to spotting cell abnormalities and HPV (responsible for 99% of cervical cancers) early, preventing any changes from turning into cancer.

Since 1964, these screenings have been done through smear tests in the UK, in which a “soft brush” is inserted into a person’s cervix to collect cells.

But one in three eligible women don’t take up invitations for “smear” tests, the NHS said.

The health service’s national clinical director for women’s health, Sue Mann, said: “There are lots of reasons that may stop women from getting their cervical screening – embarrassment, lack of time, or worries about discomfort.”

So, they have started to roll out a new “life-saving” at-home kit for millions of women.

Here’s all you need to know:

What is the new NHS at-home HPV test?

It contains a long cotton swab, which is used to collect a sample from a person’s vagina. This is then sent back to the NHS for free, where experts will look for the presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV).

HPV causes an overwhelming majority of cervical cancers. And two types of HPV alone – HPV 16 and HPV 18 – account for 70% of those cases.

If high-risk HPV is detected, the patient will be asked to visit their GP for a cervical screening. This process will gather cells to check for abnormal growth.

The NHS said that in-person screens are still the best way to detect cervical cancer (these appointments check for HPV, but also include cell samples).

However, given that “millions” of women miss their appointments, Mann said: “Offering… an alternative test they can do from the comfort of their own homes will be a gamechanger – making it easier than ever for them to get tested for HPV.”

Who’s eligible for the NHS at-home HPV tests?

The program is invitation-only and is being rolled out at different rates across the UK.

It’s currently for women aged 30-65 who’ve missed their last cervical screening. Women are usually asked to have a cervical screening every five years starting from 24, with more frequent appointments usually scheduled if they have HPV.

“If you’re invited to take part, please order a test – it’s a simple swab you can do at home in minutes,” Mann beseeched women.

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Think ‘Overdiagnosis’ Is A Problem? Try Getting An Autism Assessment

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Neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan recently told The Times that “overdiagnosis” is a scourge these days, including among those with suspected autism.

But do the stats bear these claims out?

The National Autistic Society says that roughly 750,000 autistic adults in the UK remain undiagnosed; the Children’s Commissioner’s 2024 report on waiting times for assessment and support for autism found wide “inequalities between the most and least advantaged children” seeking assessment.

With the latest NHS figures on diagnosis waiting times having just been released (sharing that just under 90% of those with suspected autism have had open assesment referrals incomplete for at last 13 weeks), we spoke to The National Autistic Society about why difficulties getting assessed might be more of a risk than so-called “overdiagnosis.”

“An autism diagnosis can be life-changing”

Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, tells us: “The number of people waiting for an autism assessment in England has rocketed to more than 224,000 people – that’s nearly the population of Luton or Portsmouth.”

It is also a 23% increase from last year’s figures, and a 76% rise over the past two years.

“The waiting list has more than tripled since the publication of the National Autism Strategy in July 2021, despite its promise to reduce diagnosis waiting times and improve support,” Merritt continues.

This is also despite the NHS itself saying people should not have to wait for more than three months to be assessed.

“An autism diagnosis can be life-changing and in some cases lifesaving, but getting an autism assessment shouldn’t be this hard… the average wait is now over 14 months,” the spokesperson shares.

“The assessment can be the first step to really understanding people’s needs and, too often, people can’t get support without a diagnosis, although this shouldn’t be the case.

“Additionally, people shouldn’t have to pay to get the support they need for themselves or their children.”

The Children’s Commissioner’s 2024 report found that “the most disadvantaged children with neurodevelopmental conditions are most likely to
have their life course permanently altered by long wait times.

As a Guardian writer puts it, “No one is simply ‘slapping’ an autism diagnosis on anybody, at least not in the NHS.”

Endless wait lists are “traumatic”

Though there is an increased demand for assessments (especially among “previously overlooked demographics such as women and girls”), the National Autistic Society tells us there is not a corresponding supply.

And even once you pass the “traumatic” wait time, “The diagnosis process is not a simple, quick process and can involve hours of recounting traumatic experiences and focusing on perceived deficits.”

Merrit ends, “Autistic people and their families face a constant fight for support in all aspects of their lives, and this often starts with long, traumatic waits for a diagnosis.

“The Government must provide urgent funding for diagnosis services to end this worsening crisis, and make sure autistic people and their families get the support they need when they need it.”

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Wes Streeting Says NHS Is ‘Addicted To Overspending’ As He Confirms Job Cuts

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Wes Streeting has said the NHS is “addicted to overspending” as he launched an attack on health bosses.

He said those in charge of the healthcare system assume “someone will come along to bail them out” when they blow their budgets.

His comments come as he suggested hundreds more government quangos could be axed following the abolition of NHS England.

Appearing on Sky News this morning, Streeting was asked by presenter Trevor Phillips: “Is it right that Jim Mackey, the head of NHS England, has written to local health boards demanding that they produce plans for a 50% reduction in their spending?”

Confirming the move, Streeting said there would be a “particular focus on management costs” to achieve that target.

He said: “Myself and Jim are confronting a financial planning round for the year ahead where systems returned financial plans to us that would have involved an overspend between £5 and £6 billion before the new financial year has even begun.

“I’m afraid this speaks to the culture that I identified before the general election where the NHS is addicted to overspending, is addicted to running up routine deficits, with the assumption that someone will come along to bail them out, in a way that, by the way, local councils would never be able to do.”

Phillips replied: “Are you saying that the apparatus of the NHS was basically wasting public money?”

Streeting said: “I think there’s definitely examples of waste and duplication and we’re going to go hard at it.

“Even if the public finances weren’t tight – and they are – I don’t think even in the good times it’s acceptable that taxpayers’ money is wasted, because the money you’re wasting could be spent on other public priorities or could be put back in the pockets of taxpayers.”

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\"The NHS is addicted to overspending\"

Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirms some integrated care boards have been asked to find 50% savings to stop \"waste and inefficiency\". pic.twitter.com/cbfQseG35k

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“The NHS is addicted to overspending”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirms some integrated care boards have been asked to find 50% savings to stop “waste and inefficiency”. pic.twitter.com/cbfQseG35k

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 16, 2025

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Streeting said he was committed to “slashing bloated bureaucracy”, suggesting many more health quangos could be axed.

“The abolition of NHS England – the world’s largest quango – is the beginning, not the end,” he said.

On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the health secretary admitted the effeiciency drive will see “significant” numbers of NHS workers lose their jobs.

He said: “I’m going after the bureaucracy, not the people who work in it.

“Of course, I can’t sugar coat the fact that there will be a significant number of job losses and we will want to make sure we are treating people fairly, supporting them properly through that process. And I’m not criticising them, but I’ve got to make sure the system is well set up.”

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