Updated NCSP Policies and Standards: Providing a Colposcopy Service

The primary objective of colposcopy is to undertake a comprehensive visual examination of the cervix in women referred with cytological abnormalities detected on cervical sampling, visible abnormalities of the cervix or symptoms and signs of cervical cancer, in order to locate a possible lesion requiring treatment.

The NCSP policies and standards contain information, guidance, policies and standards for health professionals providing services for the programme. Revised colposcopy standards that were widely consulted on over 2011, 2012 and 2013 are now published, operational and available on the NCSP policy and standards page within the NSU website. 

The NCSP policies and standards for colposcopy take into account the best available evidence on colposcopy which sometimes relies on expert opinion or is taken from authoritative statements from organisations such as the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or other guidance statements.

Evidence of best practice in cervical screening is changing as understanding of the role of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) in cervical cancer improves. It is anticipated that regular updates to these national standards will be made as new evidence becomes available.

These revised colposcopy standards also incorporate clearer data requirements for the monitoring and evaluation of colposcopy services, in support of the safety of participating women.