The role of sociodemographic factors in attendance at cervical cancer screening during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in people with severe or complex mental illness.

This research will provide valuable evidence on the drivers for missed cervical screening in people with severe or complex mental illness during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This information can inform targeted interventions to improve screening and diagnosis in this population and identify populations where post-pandemic recovery of screening rates has been lowest. We know that people with severe mental illness (SMI: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other psychoses) are less likely to attend cancer screening than the general population[1] and are also more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a late stage, and through emergency routes. Despite this, little is known about who with SMI are at greatest risk of missing these screening opportunities or whether other people with complex mental illness (those hospitalised for their mental health who do not have SMI) access these screening services in a similar way. We will use data from the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration; linking longitudinal cohort data with electronic health records to answer four questions: 1. What proportion of individuals received cervical screening each financial year between 2018 and 2024, and what was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this and how does it compare to blood pressure screening? 2. What proportion of individuals eligible for the three-year screening programme had complete screening at the following ascertainment dates: October 2021, April 2022, April 2023 and April 2024? 3. Was the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic more pronounced for specific sub-populations? 4. Were people living alone or without a partner, with financial difficulties or with fewer qualifications more likely to have missed cervical screening in April 2021-2024?