The UK National Screening Committee has recommended that cervical screening programmes invite all women and people with a cervix aged 25 - 49 every 5 years if HPV is not found in their routine cervical screening test. A screening interval of 5 years has been in place for those aged 50 – 64 in Wales since 2013.
The UK NSC arrived at this recommendation by reviewing all available evidence. They concluded that it was safe to extend the time between cervical screening (smear) tests for people who do not have HPV. As well as reviewing the evidence, the UK NSC conducted a public consultation and consulted with cancer charities.
The recommendation is being implemented at a different pace across the UK and its introduction in Wales brings Wales in line with Scotland.
The link to the UK NSC recommendation can be found here