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Closing the Cervical Screening Gap: Year One Impact & Learning in Wakefield

Join Groundwork Yorkshire for the official presentation and interactive discussion of their Year One Evaluation Report for In This Together, a community-led cervical screening outreach initiative across the Wakefield district.

Commissioned by Wakefield Council Public Health Team, funded by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance though the Community Investment Gateway, and delivered on the ground by Groundwork Yorkshire, this project presents vital insights into tackling health inequalities and improving early cancer detection through trauma-informed, person-centred outreach.

Why This Event Matters

Cervical screening saves lives, but traditional "invite-and-attend" letters fail to reach everyone. In the Wakefield district:

  • Cervical screening uptake dropped for five consecutive years, falling to 71.3% among individuals aged 25 to 49 by 2023, well below the national 80% target.
  • In Wakefield's most socioeconomically deprived communities, screening coverage dropped as low as 45.2%.
  • Additionally, 35% of cervical cancer diagnoses in Wakefield are made at late stages (Stage 3 or 4).

Traditional primary care appointment systems, digital poverty, language barriers, and fear or trauma present real barriers for vulnerable groups. In This Together was designed to meet people where they are in food banks, homeless shelters, refuges, mosques, and community centres.

Key Highlights & Year One Impact (2025–2026)

‍During this session, Groundwork Yorkshire will share audited findings, operational diagnostics, and real-life case studies from the first 12 months of delivery:

  • 984 meaningful interactions and educational conversations recorded across high-deprivation corridors.
  • 117 individuals supported to book screening appointments, including 59 first-time attendees who had never been screened before.
  • 15 first-time GP registrations completed for marginalised residents.
  • 154 local organisations and community partners engaged.
  • 51 frontline professionals and volunteers trained across 9 specialist capacity-building sessions.

Agenda

  1. Welcome & Context: Overview of cervical screening trends and health inequalities in Wakefield.
  2. The VCSE Outreach Model: How Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and trauma-informed reframing removed barriers.
  3. Key Findings & Operational Intelligence: Bypassing primary care booking barriers, overcoming myths, and delivering patient advocacy.
  4. Voices from the Field: Anonymised case studies highlighting migrant support, workplace engagement, and refuge outreach.
  5. Looking Ahead to Year Two: Expanding into HPV education for under-25s, digital inclusion, and scaling workforce training.
  6. Q&A and Panel Discussion: Open discussion with public health commissioners, outreach coordinators, and community partners.