Letter strategies
To support the National Cervical Screening Program, the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) collects and holds cervical screening test results. The NCSR sends letters to women to encourage them to screen when they are due or overdue.
These letters include:
- Invitations to women to start screening when they turn 25
- Reminders when women are due or overdue for screening
- Follow up for women if they need to have further tests or treatment and have not yet attended.
Invitations
Letters inviting women to book their first Cervical Screening Test will be sent to women a few months before their 25th birthday.
Reminder letters
Reminder letters are sent to women when they are due or overdue for their next Cervical Screening Test. Cervical Screening Tests are recommended every five years for women whose previous tests were normal. The time between tests may be different for some women, depending on the result of their previous tests.
Follow up letters
The NCSR acts as a safety net, by sending letters to doctors, nurses and specialists. These health professionals follow up abnormal test results where the NCSR has no record of a woman attending for recommended further testing or treatment. If the NCSR is unable to contact a woman’s doctor, nurse or specialist, then a letter will be sent to the woman asking her to attend for further tests or investigations.
