Healthwatch Enfield Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Survey 2025
The government target for screening coverage is 80% for both breast and cervical cancer but there is a long way to go.
In 2022 breast screening coverage rates across North Central London boroughs were much lower than the England average of 64.9%
In 2022, only 63.9% of 25-49 year-olds in Enfield were screened for cervical cancer
Healthwatch Enfield is running a survey to understand why people miss cervical and breast cancer screenings and how to make them more accessible.
All Enfield residents who are eligible for cervical and/or breast cancer screening are eligible to take the survey. Please click the link below to share your experiences.
Survey
Are You Eligible?
Breast screening
Breast screening in the UK is for anyone who has breasts aged between 50 and 70. This includes:
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People who have taken feminising hormones, including trans women and non-binary people assigned male at birth
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People who have not had an operation to remove the breasts (‘top surgery’), including trans men and non-binary people assigned female at birth
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Cisgender women
Cervical screening
Cervical screening in the UK is for anyone with a cervix aged between 25 and 64. This means anyone who has not had a full hysterectomy (an operation to remove the womb and cervix) is eligible, including:
- Some trans men
- Some non-binary people assigned female at birth
- Cisgender women
Why is Cancer Screening Important?
Breast cancer screening
Regular breast cancer screening is one of the best ways to spot a cancer that is too small to feel or see. They help to detect cancer early on, which means:
- Treatment is more likely to be successful.
- You are less likely to need a mastectomy (having a breast removed).
- It is more likely you'll be cured.
It saves around 1,300 lives every year in the UK.
Cervical cancer screening
Cervical cancer screening is one of the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer. It is not a test to detect cancer, it's a test to prevent cancer.
They check to see how healthy your cervix is and can find any abnormal changes before they turn into cancer. This means you can be treated before you develop cervical cancer.
