By Susan Donlon, Communications Team, National Screening Service
Ireland has set a vision for 2040: to make cervical cancer rare in every community. This vision, supported by a newly published national action plan to mark Cervical Cancer Elimination Day of Action 2024, brings us closer to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global targets to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.
The global targets and Ireland’s baseline
The WHO has set three global targets for every country to reach by 2030 to put the world on course to eliminate cervical cancer. Our baseline data shows how we are progressing towards these goals, having already exceeded two of the targets:
- 84% HPV vaccination coverage among eligible girls (global target: 90%)
- 73% cervical screening coverage for eligible women every 5 years (global target: 70% screened by age 35 and 45)
- 97%* treated for invasive disease within 1 year (global target: 90%)
National targets
We’re in a strong position to exceed all global targets, and we have now set ourselves national targets to achieve equity among all population groups by 2030:
- 90% of girls fully vaccinated against HPV by age 15
- 80% HPV cervical screening coverage for eligible women every 5 years
- 97% of women with cervical cancer and pre-cancer treated within 1 year
Equity
Equity is at the heart of our approach to reach these national targets. The HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer, Dr Colm Henry, emphasises the important role of equitable access, saying “Elimination can only truly be said to have been achieved when we deliver it for every community.”
Achieving our vision involves targeted efforts to address gaps in vaccination, screening, and treatment, particularly in underserved communities. Our priority actions include working in partnership with these communities on tailored, culturally sensitive initiatives to ensure equitable access to healthcare services.
Making it happen
To drive our vision forward, we will focus on 3 core health service pillars and 4 enabling priority areas:
- Vaccination: optimising our school-based HPV vaccination programme, particularly in areas with low uptake, to reach the WHO target of 90% coverage.
- Screening: a continued focus on responding to the best evidence as we deliver a modern, effective CervicalCheck screening service that meets the needs of our eligible screening participants.
- Treatment: maintaining our treatment rates and continuing to improve integration of services to support timely access to care for those who need it.
Enabling priority areas
- Partnership, advocacy and communications: collaborating with community organisations to boost awareness and access.
- Workforce and education: supporting training and cultural competency to better serve our diverse communities.
- Research: developing a research programme focused on equity, to support effective innovation and change.
- Data, monitoring and evaluation: using data to track progress, identify gaps, and continuously improve services.
Communities in action
The action plan highlights examples where these pillars and priority areas come to life in our communities:
- Equity in action: our community champions programme has been empowering local health workers in Cork to improve access to cervical screening among a group of women, breaking down language, literacy and transport barriers, resulting in more women accessing screening.
- Vaccination in action: a HSE school vaccinations team in the west of Ireland has implemented a streamlined process that has seen HPV vaccination coverage reach 84%. These teams work to create a positive experience, minimising student anxiety and enhancing participation.
- Screening in action: Donegal’s Sexual Assault Treatment Unit offers trauma-informed cervical screening for women who have experienced sexual violence. By providing a safe, non-judgmental environment, the initiative has reached women who had delayed their attendance or who had never attended for cervical screening due to trauma.
- Treatment in action: Patient advocate Kim Hanly’s journey highlights the importance of timely care and the need for support networks. Diagnosed at age 26, Kim’s experiences underscore the impact of accessible and compassionate care for women navigating cervical cancer treatment.
Together Towards Elimination
The community-driven action plan was developed following an extensive stakeholder engagement process. This included consultation with the public, healthcare professionals, underserved communities, patient advocates and our key stakeholders and partners.
To the journey
Ireland is on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Our journey there will need persistent focus, innovation and partnership, particularly on equity.
Eliminating cervical cancer will be achieved by the HSE’s vaccination, screening and treatment services working together, and by the active support and participation of communities across the country.
As Dr Colm Henry reminds us: “We are fortunate to have the services needed to prevent many cases of cervical cancer and provide timely treatment. We will only achieve elimination by putting equity at the heart of this work.”
Our vision will guide us, and our action plan will drive us.
#TogetherTowardsElimination
*preliminary NCRI data