A quarter (26%) of women would be more likely to attend cervical cancer screenings if their company was more flexible and they didn't have to take holiday for an appointment, according to research from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.
The Trust also found 39% of those polled did not find it easy to leave work to attend an appointment.
The research has been conducted in conjunction with a new campaign, ‘Time to Test’, to raise awareness of cervical cancer in the workplace and allow female employees to attend screenings during the working day if they can't get an appointment outside work hours. The campaign is being supported by NHS England, Illamasqua, Middlesbrough Council, GSK, Irwin Mitchell, Action for Charity, Pelican Healthcare, APL Health, The & Partnership and Prospectus.
Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, warned that businesses should not be complacent when it comes to ensuring female staff can attend screenings.
“Worryingly the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer each day has recently risen from eight to nine, and the number delaying or ignoring their cervical screening invitation is also rising year on year,” he said.
“We know from our research that for working women a barrier to screening is accessibility. Through Time to Test we hope to encourage businesses to promote cervical cancer prevention and ensure female staff have the time to get tested. We are delighted that so many companies have already joined the campaign and hope many more follow suit. Cervical screening is a five-minute test, but it could save a life.”
Cervical cancer is a preventable disease that claims three lives every day, according to the Trust. Cervical screening can detect abnormal cells before they become cancerous and prevents 75% of cervical cancers.
