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Human Papillomavirus: Screening

Asked by Shivani RajaConservativeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 7 September 2026UIN 22529

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of NHS pathology laboratories to process returned HPV self-testing kits in a timely manner; and what target turnaround time has been set from a sample being posted to the individual receiving their results.

Answered by Department of Health and Social Care

I refer the Hon Member to the press release issued by NHS England setting out the objectives of the self-testing rollout, and to the impact assessments carried out to inform the development of this policy, all of which are available at the following links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2026/08/nhs-rolls-out-discreet-home-testing-kits-against-cervical-cancer-for-millions-of-women/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-hpv-self-sampling-impact-assessments

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