Published on 11 July 2025
A mobile cervical screening bus has been popping up across Wirral this summer to encouraging people who are eligible to have their check.
The mobile unit – operated by the Living Well service, will be operating across Wirral for six weeks during July and the first half of August in areas of low screening uptake.
Heledd Watkins, a Clinical Lead with the Living Well Service, says some of the people who come to the bus feel nervous about getting screened, often putting it off. The team work hard to understand people’s experiences and support them through the process.
Helen said: “We know that some people will be nervous coming to us. I reassure them that we can stop at any time – we go at each person’s pace and remind them it’s their choice. We have a chat, we try to get them laughing and relaxing. And when we get the screening done and sent off to the labs, we’re proud of them turning up to take control of their own health.”
The test itself takes around five minutes. The bus has two rooms where screening takes place. They are clean, comfortable and private.
“Once we’re in that room you wouldn’t know you were on a bus in the middle of a busy town centre," Heledd said, “it’s a discreet and confidential service and it’s bringing the service to people rather than needing them to get to the service. We see people who haven’t had a screening in 20 years, we see first timers. By popping up in public spaces, anyone can turn up and we can do it there and then. We’ve seen teachers run out to us on their lunch breaks!”
They regularly get great feedback too, said Heledd. “We’ve had people who’ve seen us bring their friend to get checked because their own experience was so positive.”
The service, which has been running three-month pilots over the past year, has supported hundreds of people to get their cervical screening.
Cervical screening tests for HPV (human papillomavirus) which can cause cervical cancer. If these types of HPV are found, they can be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
Heledd added: "It is thankfully rare, but we have had success of ladies coming to us and finding via the test that they have had HPV or even required further treatment to prevent cancer developing – they’ve then gone on to get the treatment they needed. Without coming to the bus, they may still be in the dark about their cervical health."
Women, trans and non-binary people with a cervix, between the ages of 25 and 64 are invited to take part – even if they’re not sure when their last screening took place.
Heledd explains: "We can check right there and then via the NHS system whether someone is overdue for their screening."
To find out more about the service see https://www.cwp.nhs.uk/livingwellservice