Fewer women in Waltham Forest and Redbridge are being screened for cervical cancer, according to the latest NHS data.

The trend has been described as a “worrying move in the wrong direction” by Jennette Arnold, London Assembly Member for Waltham Forest.

The politician said: “This is further evidence that the NHS needs to be allocated more resources to effectively engage with women across our community.”

This comments come in the middle of cervical screening awareness week, which runs from Monday June 11 to Sunday June 17.

Cervical screening looks for abnormal cells in the cervix that can develop into cancer.

The most recent statistics from March 2016 – March 2017 show a 0.2 per cent decrease in the number of eligible women aged 25-64 years adequately screened in Waltham Forest and a 1.3 per cent reduction in Redbridge, compared to the previous year.

Nationally, there has been a 0.7 per cent reduction in screening coverage, down to 72 per cent overall.

The fall in coverage comes despite an increase in the number of women invited to undertake a screening, a total 4.45 million.

London has the lowest average rate of coverage in the country with only two thirds of eligible women having gone through the screening programme between 2016 and 2017.

Ms Arnold is backing calls for the Mayor of London to consider how to further promote awareness of cervical screening in the capital.

She said: “Cervical screenings save lives and it’s clear that more must be done to encourage all eligible women to undertake them.

“It might be that the downward trend we are seeing in our local community, and across the capital, is due to our increasingly transient population, with less Londoners registering with a GP.

“With the level of take up in London lagging behind the national average, it’s vital the Mayor takes action to address this serious health inequality. That’s why I’m backing calls for Sadiq Khan to look into how we can promote awareness of cervical screening in the capital.

“The government must also do their part by looking at how screenings can be made more accessible and ensuring that adequate resources are in place to enable the NHS to reach more women.”