A major 24‑month East Midlands Cancer Alliance cervical screening improvement programme, led by Appt Health and funded through the SBRI NHS England Cancer Programme, is now well underway — and early signs show meaningful progress in reconnecting those least likely to attend screening. Delivered in partnership with Imperial College London and Prova Health, we have been working directly with ICBs, and GP practices across the East Midlands.

Our mission is clear: to increase cervical screening participation by focusing on one of the system’s most persistent challenges — re‑engaging people who have not responded to previous national screening invitations.

A National Programme with Significant Scale

The programme is continuing to expand, with a footprint that already reflects a substantial national undertaking. So far:

• 150+ GP practices have joined across England
• Representing around 170,000 eligible patients
• And supporting almost 3,000 bookings to date

These numbers are especially notable because the programme does not send routine reminders to the entire eligible population. Instead, it targets non‑responders only — individuals historically the hardest to reach using traditional NHS pathways. Even with this narrow focus, early engagement is strong, with booking rates above 20% among invited non‑responders. As further practices come online and invite more patients, the impact is expected to grow rapidly.

Driving Change in the East Midlands

Within the East Midlands Cancer Alliance, Appt Health is supporting GP practices to re-engage people who have not responded to previous cervical screening invitations by making the booking process simpler and more accessible.

Appt Health sends digital invitations automatically on behalf of practices, significantly reducing staff burden and removing practical barriers such as telephone queues and limited appointment windows. This approach allows activity to build steadily over time without disrupting day-to-day clinical workflows, offering practices a scalable way to improve uptake while maintaining capacity during periods of high pressure.

The impact across the East Midlands is already encouraging:

• Thirty-five GP practices are now participating in the project
• Just under 1,000 screening bookings facilitated among non-responders.
• One practice has reported a booking rate of 41 percent, representing a significant increase in their overall cervical screening uptake.

Re‑Engagement at the Heart of the Model

What sets this programme apart is its laser focus on non‑responders — people who have been invited before but have not attended. These individuals often face complex barriers ranging from language challenges to mental ill‑health, limited flexibility, or low awareness of risk.

Appt Health’s digital invitation and booking system is designed to offer:

• Clear, accessible messaging
• Multiple booking routes
• Reduced effort for the patient
• A proactive system that reaches out, rather than waiting for action

The project team is also working with Imperial College London to develop equity‑focused, co‑designed messaging, targeting groups with lower screening uptake, including:

• Women under 35
• Women 35+ living in areas of higher deprivation
• People whose preferred language is not English
• People with learning disabilities or severe mental illness

This next phase of tailored communication is planned for rollout from April 2026.

Promising Early Engagement — With More to Come

Although still in the earlier stages of delivery, the programme’s positive engagement rates show real promise. By using targeted, digitally enabled approaches, Appt Health is supporting GP practices and wider system partners to close gaps in screening uptake — particularly within groups where progress has historically been difficult.

An independent evaluation led by Imperial College London and Prova Health will begin later in the project, with outcomes expected to contribute valuable national learning on overcoming inequalities in cervical screening access.

For more information on this innovative project and other NHS-supported solutions developed by Appt Health, please visit: Improving Cancer Screening Uptake with NHS Support