PUBLIC Health England (PHE) has launched a major new ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign in the South West.

The aim is to increase the number of women attending their cervical screening across the region.

The campaign will encourage women to respond to their cervical screening invitation letter, and if they missed their last screening, to book an appointment at their GP practice.

Around 275 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the South West each year and around 62 women die from the disease.

It is estimated that if everyone attended screening regularly, 83 per cent of cervical cancer cases could be prevented.

Screening is at a 20-year low, with one in four eligible women (those aged 25 – 64) in the UK not attending their test.

The screening rate for the South West is 73.7 per cent, below the national standard of 80 per cent.

PHE South West lead consultant for screening and immunisation in Dr Julie Yates said: "We know that cervical screening rates are at a twenty year low with one in four women in the UK not attending for their cervical screening.

“About 2,500 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in England each year and in 2014 -16, we know that 275 of those diagnosed were women from the South West.

“It is important to understand that cervical screening isn’t a test for cancer, it’s a test to check the health of the cells in the cervix.

Most women’s test results show that everything is normal but for around 1 in 20 women the test shows some abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix. Most of these changes won’t lead to cervical cancer and cells go back to normal on their own but, in some cases, the abnormal cells need to be removed so they can’t become cancerous."