Socioeconomic inequalities in cervical cancer screening coverage in England

Higher mortality from cervical cancer and lower cervical screening attendance in England are both associated with social deprivation. Linkage of 2012 data showed 4.9% percentage points between coverage in the upper and lower quintile of social deprivation. To investigate whether this inequality has changed in the last decade, general practice-level coverage data from 2024 were linked to area-level index of multiple deprivation. Cervical screening coverage was estimated to be 73.5% among those in the most affluent areas decreasing to 66.1% in the most deprived areas, a gap of 7.4%. Coverage has decreased over the last decade and the inequality in coverage between least and most deprived is wider than it was 12 years ago. The 2026 National Cancer Plan includes ambitious targets to reduce inequalities in accessing screening. Routinely linking coverage data to deprivation indices is essential to evaluate whether they are met.