Health screening in County Durham

Healthwatch County Durham undertook research on the experiences of vulnerable women in accessing health screening and healthcare services, and their awareness of safeguarding. During the summer and autumn of 2017, Healthwatch spoke with 77 women, including those with mental health issues, women affected by domestic abuse, women at risk of homelessness, women involved in sex work, Gypsy, Romany and Traveller women, and carers.

The research found that most women attended breast and cervical screening appointments despite often facing challenging personal circumstances. Many felt that the age limits for screening programmes should be extended and said cervical screening was more likely to be missed because women were invited to arrange an appointment themselves rather than being given one automatically. Women were generally satisfied with access to GP services, although those fleeing domestic abuse sometimes experienced difficulties registering with a GP and obtaining medication because they lacked identification documents. 

Participants also reported problems accessing mental health support, citing long waiting times, service withdrawal and difficulties finding appropriate help. Views on urgent care services were mixed, with some preferring traditional walk-in services while others valued the appointment-based NHS 111 system. Awareness of safeguarding was often limited, particularly among women without support workers, and many participants did not know how to make a safeguarding referral or access safeguarding information.

Healthwatch recommended that GP practices work more closely with women’s refuges to support vulnerable women registering with services, that a pilot be introduced offering timed cervical screening appointments to women who do not respond to an initial invitation, and that more be done to raise public awareness of safeguarding and how to report concerns.