From today, the NHS is rolling out DIY smear tests to around four million women in England who have not attended their in-person cervical screening appointment, aiming to boost uptake and catch more cases of cervical cancer early. Eligible women will be invited via the NHS App, text, email or letter to order a free self-testing kit, which involves taking a vaginal swab at home or elsewhere rather than undergoing a traditional speculum examination at a GP surgery.

The kit contains a swab that users post back for free HPV testing; anyone found to have high-risk HPV will then be invited for a follow-up in-person screening. Only around 60 per cent of eligible women currently attend their scheduled test, with embarrassment, work commitments and scheduling difficulties cited as key barriers. The rollout follows a trial involving 27,000 women, run by King's College London with NHS England, and has been described by health officials as a "gamechanging" step towards eliminating cervical cancer.