Measuring the impact of enhancing care provision in cervical screening for women in Wales, England and Australia who have experienced sexual violence and abuse

Research question:

What is the impact of enhancing cervical screening care provision in Wales, England and Australia for women who have experienced sexual violence and abuse?  

Background:

Estimates reflect that 1 in 4 girls experience childhood sexual abuse and 1 in 3 women experience sexual violence (Survivors Trust, 2022). Women who have experienced sexual violence and abuse (SV&A) have poor experiences of attending cervical screening appointments in comparison to women who have not experienced SV&A. The uptake of cervical screening continues to decline, with several practical barriers reported (e.g. the emotional anxiety caused), with additional barriers reported from women of ethnic minority backgrounds (Chorley et al, 2017). We also know the risks of not attending cervical screening, with calculations indicating that raising screening coverage to 84% could save the NHS £10 million, with estimates that cervical screening saves around 5000 lives a year in the UK (Jo’s Trust, 2017). This provides an interesting comparison to Australia, a country on track to eliminate cervical cancer (Hall et al. 2019).

Aims and objectives:

The aim is to explore the uses and limitations of the current cervical screening care provision in Wales, England and Australia for women who have experienced SV&A, to inform the enhancement to this service and measure the impact of this enhancement. The focus is on women’s diverse and comparative experiences of cervical screening care across Wales, England and Australia. The comparative research sites will ensure variations in the experiences of women, provide an international lens and international standing for this project.

The research objectives are focused on:-

• Identifying the nature of the issues experienced by women who have experienced SV&A, when accessing cervical screening care provision in Wales, England and Australia.
• Exploring the uses and limitations of the current cervical screening care provision. 
• Advancing knowledge to inform the development of cervical screening care provision for women through the development of a new practice model and toolkit. 
• Measuring the impact of applying the new practice model and toolkit by conducting a Social Return on Investment (SROI).