§ 18. Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects every health district or family practitioner committee in England and Wales to have an operational computerised system of call and recall for cervical cancer screening.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAn effective cervical cytology programme is not dependent on a computerised system of call and recall. Health authorities have been asked to ensure that every woman who has a smear test is recalled at five-yearly intervals when she enters the priority group. The method of organising a satisfactory recall system is for each health authority to determine in the light of local circumstances. We have not asked health authorities to implement call systems but we are funding a research project to evaluate the effectiveness of a cervical cytology screening call system. Many health authorities utilise FPCs to operate their recall schemes. A significant number of FPCs either use or are developing computerised systems.