Jump to contentAllNewsSportCultureLifestyle(PA)Millions of women in the UK who have missed cervical screening appointments will be offered free at-home self-testing kits by the NHS. Over the next year, nearly four million eligible women aged 30 to 65 will receive invitations via letter, text, email or the NHS app to order a kit. The self-testing kit allows users to collect a vaginal swab at home, which is sent to NHS laboratories free of charge to test for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). If high-risk HPV is detected from the sample, patients will be asked to attend a clinician for a standard cervical screening appointment. The initiative aims to boost uptake from the current 68.8 per cent to the NHS target of 80 per cent, potentially preventing up to 1,000 cases of cervical cancer annually. In fullHPV home-testing kits: How do they work and will I get one?More bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

From today, DIY smear tests will be sent out to four million women across England who have failed to turn up to their in-person appointment.

Eligible women aged between 30 and 65, who have not attended screening appointments, will be sent invitations through the NHS app, text message, email or by letter