By Dr Rachael Comer, Education and Training Manager, CervicalCheck Screening Training Unit
We’re developing a new CervicalCheck Education Strategy for 2027-2030.
Our aim is to develop an education strategy that:
- continues to meet the needs of our stakeholders
- supports safe, high-quality cervical screening
- reflects emerging evidence and prepares healthcare professionals for the future direction of cervical screening
- builds on the progress we’ve made over the past 5 years delivering and strengthening cervical screening education across Ireland.
How we will develop the strategy
We are developing the strategy in stages, using a structured, evidence-informed and stakeholder-led approach.
This includes:
- listening and scoping: We will listen to stakeholders to understand their current education needs, experiences and priorities.
- reviewing and benchmarking: We will evaluate our current education programme and identify gaps and opportunities. We will look at engagement and uptake, quality data and trends. We will review and update education standards to ensure they remain evidence-based and aligned with national and international best practice.
- developing the strategy: We will bring together what we have learned and use the evidence to develop our priorities and future education pathways.
- consulting and finalising: We will test and refine the draft strategy with key stakeholders before we finalise it and develop an implementation plan.
Listening to the people who deliver and support cervical screening
We want people who use, deliver and support CervicalCheck education to shape the strategy.
To do this, we are carrying out education needs assessments with:
- GP contract holders
- registered sample takers
- clinical leads
- clinical trainers.
The findings will help us understand current awareness, engagement and support needs. They will also help identify priorities for areas such as governance, quality assurance, audit, programme updates and sample taker support, as well as people's preferred learning formats and barriers to taking part.
If you are a sample taker, complete our survey. It takes about 8 minutes. Your views matter whether you have completed the education programme, are currently taking part, or have not completed it.
What we want to learn
We want to understand people's experience of our current education programmes and resources and what they will need in the future.
We are asking our stakeholders about:
- how well our current education supports their practice
- which resources they use and how useful they find them
- what is working well
- where there may be gaps or opportunities to improve
- what topics they would like us to cover in future
- how they would prefer to learn about future changes
- what can make it difficult to engage with education and training.
We are also asking clinical trainers about their experience of delivering education, where learners may need more support and what could strengthen education in the future.
Preparing for the future of cervical screening
Our new strategy will focus on preparing and supporting healthcare professionals for what comes next in cervical screening.
This includes the potential role of HPV self-sampling and supporting Ireland’s ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
By building on what we have achieved and listening to our stakeholders, we will continue to:
- develop and deliver education that is practical, relevant and accessible
- respond to the needs of our cervical screening participants
- support our goal to improve equity in screening
- support better screening, better outcomes and better care.