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National Cervical Screening Programme

 

The National Cervical Screening Programme is delivered by a large number of providers across the screening pathway, from health promotion to treatment.

The National Screening Unit contracts seven independent service providers to provide health promotion to Maori, Pacific and other women in the Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch regions.  Across the country there are approximately 5,300 smear takers, including general practitioners and nurses and nine laboratories providing cytology services to the National Cervical Screening Programme.

The 21 District Health Boards (DHBs) are contracted by the National Screening Unit to provide colposcopy services.  Thirteen of the 21 DHBs have been contracted to provide the NCSP-Register services.  NCSP regional services undertake regional co-ordination role for cervical screening health promotion, some smear taking as well as liaising with key organisations and people relevant to cervical screening eg PHOs, Maori or Pacific health providers and GP practices. 

The four components of the NCSP service delivery model currently delivered by the NCSP Regional Services are:

  • management and operation of the NCSP-Register
  • regional coordination and liaison activities, that are directly supported by the NCSP-Register, particularly with other providers (eg, smear takers and colposcopy units)
  • NCSP health promotion
  • provision of smear-taking services for women in priority groups.

From the early 1990s coinciding with the introduction of the NCSP, incidence decreased from about 12 per 100,000 in 1991 to below 7 per 100,000 in 2002, a steady decline of approximately 40 percent.  Between 1990 and 2001, mortality fell from 5 per 100,000 to 2 per 100,000 a decline of 60 percent.  

 

Dr Hazel Lewis, Clinical Leader, National Cervical Screening Programme

Achieving equity in cervical cancer

Adobe PDF - 221 Kb  

Review of Colposcopy Services

Further work is now underway to implement the improvements identified by a review of colposcopy services undertaken by the NSU in 2006.