By Lynn Swinburne, Equity Manager, National Screening Service
We’ve published a 2-year action plan setting out the next steps we will take to reduce barriers to screening and make our programmes more accessible, inclusive and equitable for everyone.
The action plan to improve equity in screening 2026-2027 is delivered in the context of our Strategic Equity Framework 2023-2027. It builds on the progress we have made and what we achieved in 2024 and 2025, outlined in our recently published midway report.
Our priorities for 2026-2027
The action plan continues work already under way while introducing new actions informed by evidence, stakeholder feedback and emerging national priorities.
The action plan is organised around the 5 priority areas of the Equity Framework:
- research and data
- education, learning and development
- partnership
- access and inclusivity
- communications.
Key actions for the next 2 years include:
- improving how we measure and monitor equity in screening through the use of deprivation data and other equity measures
- developing and supporting research projects that help us better understand and address inequities in screening
- progressing work on HPV self-sampling to explore how it could improve access to cervical screening for women who are less likely to take part in cervical screening
- expanding partnerships with communities, HSE services and national and international organisations
- continuing to grow our Community Champions programme
- implementing recommendations from our disability needs assessment research
- developing and piloting a health equity impact assessment tool to support decision-making
- improving access to screening for people who are less likely to take part in screening through targeted initiatives
- ensuring our communications support informed choice for everyone who is eligible for screening.
Our continued commitment to equity
Improving equity in screening is a long-term commitment. While we have made important progress, we know there is more work to do. The publication of this 2-year action plan marks the next phase of our work. It sets out the practical steps we will take to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access, understand and take part in screening, if they choose to do so.
We will continue to learn from evidence, engage with communities and work collaboratively across our health service to make screening more accessible, inclusive and equitable for everyone.
- Learn more about our work to improve equity in screening: hse.ie/equityinscreening.