HL Deb 19 June 1984 vol 453 cc148-9

2.46 p.m.

Baroness Vickers

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in view of the increased numbers of women waiting to have cervical cancer tests, which could save their lives, what action is being taken by general practitioners and community health councils to continue to make tests available to women, and to provide for the necessary treatment.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Glenarthur)

My Lords, health authorities are responsible for providing the now well-established cervical screening service. I am not aware of any waiting lists for cervical smear tests. General medical practitioners and doctors in ante-natal, family planning and certain other clinics take routine cervical smears as part of normal medical care.

Baroness Vickers

My Lords, while thanking the noble Minister for that reply, may I ask whether he can say what the Government's present policy in regard to this is, and whether they plan any changes for the future?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, the present policy lays emphasis on routine screening for cervical cancer every five years for all women over 35 years of age and younger women who have been pregnant on three or more occasions. The Committee on Gynaecological Psychology, which is an independent committee of experts, has recommended that for younger women a smear should be taken when they are first coming forward for contraceptive advice or when otherwise requested and thereafter at ages 20, 25 and 30, but at no other ages except during pregnancy.

Lord Molloy

My Lords, would the noble Minister not agree that there seems to be some apprehension as regards cancer tests? Would he be prepared at least to consider requesting regional health authorities to inform him of any difficulties they might be experiencing?

Lord Glenarthur

Certainly, my Lords, if there have been delays they are probably delays in the laboratory work which is needed to produce the results of the tests.

Baroness Ewart-Biggs

My Lords, would not the noble Minister agree that there is no use in organisations such as the Women's Cervical Cancer Control Campaign informing women and carrying out smear tests if there is such a backlog in the laboratory testing of those smears? Their work will come to nothing.

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, there is not the backlog which the noble Baroness suggests that there is. We are aware that there have been some local difficulties in certain laboratories in some parts of the country—I am thinking particularly of Greenwich and Waltham Forest —but there are no general fears of a backlog in the way that is suggested.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, arising out of the Question asked by the noble Baroness, would the noble Lord look again at the question of the number of women waiting for screening? Also, could he say a little more about how the revised recall system will work, bearing in mind that the previous recall system did not really succeed? Finally, can he say something of the role of general practitioners, who have the closest contact with patients, and of the family practitioner committees in helping to make the scheme work?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, there is not the evidence to suggest that there is any backlog in the provision of these tests because they are provided in the way I described in the original Answer. So far as the recall system is concerned, the noble Lord will be aware that the National Health Service centralised recall system did not work effectively. In fact, only about 20 per cent. of all recall forms actually achieved a response; so that system was, as he knows, abandoned and the idea now is that health authorities should set up their own schemes. They were asked to provide alternative arrangements in conjunction with family pactitioner committees by April 1983.