NHS Cervical Screening Programme
From 1 July 2025, routine cervical screening intervals will be extended from 3 to 5 years for participants aged 25-49 who test negative after attending cervical screening on or after this date.
At the moment in England, women and people with a cervix aged 25-49 years are routinely invited for cervical screening every 3 years. Now we have a better test for HPV, the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) has recommended that those testing negative won’t need to come for a cervical screening quite so often – every 5 years instead of every 3. If your cervical screening shows you have HPV, you may be invited for more frequent screenings to monitor any cell changes.
The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) reviewed all the robust scientific evidence and recommended a change to a 5-year screening interval for participants aged 25-49 years who test negative for hrHPV at their routine screen. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has accepted this recommendation.
Next test due dates will not be changed; individuals will be invited at the interval in which they were advised of at the time of their last test.
Those aged 50 to 64 are already invited every 5 years.
Please see the NHS guide to cervical screening below.