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Matt Hancock Faces Criticism Over 'Misleading' Claim About 'At-Home Smear Tests'

Vagina Museum tells health secretary that self-sampling swabs testing for the Human Papillomavirus Virus are not the same as full cervical screening.
Graeme Demianyk
By 

Senior Editor, HuffPost UK

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Health secretary Matt Hancock has faced a backlash after tweeting about a trial of “at-home smear tests” – as critics told the minister it would be anatomically impossible for women to carry out a cervical screening on their own.

On Wednesday, NHS England announced more than 31,000 women will be given kits to carry out tests in their own home, rather than having to go to a health professional in a GP surgery or health centre.

The trial will see swab tests either posted to women or given out by GPs to increase take up of screening for the Human Papillomavirus Virus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer.

The initiative was supported by Hancock, who said on social media: “Cervical screening is life-saving, so this is a great step forward.”

Over 31,000 women will be offered kits to carry out smear tests in the privacy & convenience of their own homes in a trial.

Cervical screening is life-saving, so this is a great step forwardhttps://t.co/RwE1qMjpg9

— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) February 24, 2021

But his comments were seized on by a number of people on Twitter, including the Vagina Museum.

It pointed out the limits of self-sampled vaginal swabs.

Among a series of tweets, the London charity said: “It’s impossible to perform a smear test on yourself unless you are incredibly flexible and have absolutely perfect aim to hit your cervix.

“Cervical smears are a procedure which you need someone to do for you, and you need that person to know what they’re doing.”

It added the actual smear test is more extensive and tests for abnormal cervical cells, which the swabs would not. The swabs are “not a replacement for cervical screening, it’s a way of reaching those who are not having their smears”, it added.

This is incorrect and misleading. This is not cervical screening, and is not a smear test, and is not a replacement for a smear test. It's self-sampling for HPV from a vaginal swab. https://t.co/GBQQIHQMeS

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

It's impossible to perform a smear test on yourself unless you are incredibly flexible and have absolutely perfect aim to hit your cervix. Cervical smears are a procedure which you need someone to do for you, and you need that person to know what they're doing.

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

The self sampling pilot isn't cervical screening. Those who receive the kits are taking a swab from their vagina to check for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a virus which can cause cervical cancer. People whose sample contains HPV will then be asked to go for a standard smear test.

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

The study is targeting people who haven't responded to invitations from their GPs to come for a smear test. It's not a replacement for cervical screening, it's a way of reaching those who are not having their smears.

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

Here's a more detailed outline about what the HPV self-sampling pilot entails from @JoTrust https://t.co/6eE6xUPlzQ

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

And if you'd like to know more about what happens when you go for a smear test, our director told you all about hers in this thread yesterday. https://t.co/2N0cm3rdKC

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

We've had a few people saying that smear tests are only testing for HPV - that's not quite true. The sample taken in a smear test is checked for HPV, and if they find it, they examine the sample further to look for abnormal cells.

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

If you're found to have HPV and abnormal cells, you'll be invited for another smear a year later to see if the HPV has cleared up. If you have abnormal cells, you'll be invited for a test called a colposcopy to investigate further.

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

This is what makes the self-sampling different: no samples of cells from the cervix are taken, so they cannot examine for cell abnormalities, and it's why if you're found to have HPV on a self-sampled vaginal swab, you'll need a smear test.

— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) February 24, 2021

Others, including doctors, made similar criticisms, pointing out that the problem was more than an issue to do with “loose language”.

Please don't give false information @MattHancock! This is NOT a smear test - people will not be able to perform a cervical screening test on themselves in their own homes. The self-testing is for high-risk HPV, not abnormal cervical cells. A lot of confusion is being caused. https://t.co/gOzBfdNkkh

— Karen Hobbs (@karen_hobbs) February 24, 2021

This is causing a lot of confusion. 🙃

You won’t be able to perform a smear on yourself - you’d have to possess super human flexibility. It’s a swab test for cervical cancer causing strains of HPV which is the first test that is carried out on a routine smear. https://t.co/SoxfU7asEo

— Dr Annabel 🙅🏿♀️(she/her) (@SoSowemimo) February 24, 2021

A vaginal swab for HPV testing is not a cervical smear test. If HPV is identified as a result of the swab, cervical cytology - a “smear” test - will still be indicated. This is not simply a pedantic criticism about loose use of language. https://t.co/ESXdnGXnY8

— Mark Gaze (@MarkGaze) February 24, 2021

HuffPost UK has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England for comment.

MailOnline reported a DHSC spokesperson saying Hancock had “followed the wording” of NHS England’s press release, and an NHS England spokesperson saying “this is part of the cervical screening process, and women are being invited to carry out ‘smear tests’ in their own home”.

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