What’s happening in the NCSP • Cervical Screening Media
You’ll find more details about this campaign in this Sector Update but the core message is that regular cervical screening will lead to the early detection of cell changes that can be treated, to prevent cervical cancer. This is particularly true for Māori wāhine and participants who have twice the rate of cervical cancer compared to non Māori and are twice as likely to die from it. This social media campaign has been designed in particular to resonate with these wāhine and other participants, because we need to normalise the conversation about regular cervical screening. We can do this by improving access and opportunities that support getting more participants into our cervical screening programme, and by reinforcing the key message that HPV vaccination combined with regular screening provides the best protection from cervical cancer. With the transition to HPV Primary Screening, we are aiming to bring more participants into the screening programme. Until then, please reinforce our key messages, point people towards the social media campaign and encourage participants to continue their regular screens. Campaigns
We are excited to be launching a social media campaign aimed at encouraging wāhine to re engage with regular cervical screening.
Sector Update August 2022 Kia ora koutou
We are looking forward to hearing the Review’s recommendations in areas such as accessibility to primary health care and colposcopy services.
Please refer to the following link for background to the review www.nsu.govt.nz/health professionals/national cervical screening programme/legislation/ncsp review
• NCSP Advisory and Action Group
The campaign acknowledges the sacredness of te whare tangata and the importance for wāhine to focus on their own health and that of their whānau.
• Bev Lawton of Hei Āhuru Mōwai, is Professor and Director of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine (National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa)
Finding the time for screening can be difficult but wāhine prioritising themselves is important so that they can be healthy for their whānau .
A refreshed NCSP Advisory and Action Group will provide strategic advice and guidance to the cervical screening programme, in particular for the implementation of HPV Primary Screening.
The three yearly NCSP Parliamentary Review has progressed its work after conducting interviews with providers and stakeholders and is now in the collation and writing phase prior to submitting its Thereport.final report will be presented to the Minister in early September and will then be tabled in Parliament.
The Group includes members with experience of all stages of the screening pathway and is focused on equity. We will work alongside this group in a partnership model which will inform our approach to all our groups advising the National Screening Unit.
Tira Albert, Kaiwhakahaere of Mana Wāhine, and member of the Māori Monitoring and Equity Group and NCSP Māori Campaign and Resources Advisory Group, chairs the group, alongside Jane O’Hallahan, Clinical Director of the National Screening Unit. Group members are:
The NCSP’s Māori social marketing campaign to promote a safe return to cervical screening after the disruptions caused by COVID 19, is going live Messaging and four videos developed in partnership with Māori and Pacific Campaign Advisory Groups (CAGs) will soon be on the Time to Screen website under the heading “Hey, Let’s Catch up!” These have been designed with Māori and Pacific creative agencies and separated into distinct campaigns. The Māori focused campaign is being launched now, followed by the Pacific focused campaign later in the year.
• NCSP Parliamentary Review Committee
The Māori cervical screening campaign tells real and relevant local stories by going to where wāhine Māori are. A whānau approach acknowledges the importance of whakapapa and the value of the whole family being supportive of cervical screening, alongside the wāhine.
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Nerida Matangi Griffiths is the current Specialty Clinical Nurse/Regional Co ordinator for Te Whatu Ora Waikato, National Cervical Screening Programme
• Tua Taueetia-Su'a is a Senior Research Fellow Auckland University, Pacific Health Advocate and current chair of the NCSP Pacific Campaign and Resources Advisory Group
Emily Cavana of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, representing primary care, is currently a medical educator for RNZCGP and a clinician at Vibe Youth Service
• Yvonne Little of the New Zealand College of Primary Health Care Nurses, is a Nurse Practitioner in the Primary Health Care Sector in Hawke’s Bay
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The SIA team provide this reporting function across all six screening programmes within the NSU.
• Sandra Corbett of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora, is currently the Kaiwhakahaere for Population Screening at Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay
• Tiffany Soloa'i is a Practice Support Nurse with the National Hauora Coalition, across the Metro Auckland and Whanganui areas, with a particular focus on immunisations and cervical screening
More information, including minutes from each hui, brief bios of the members and points of contact, will be available on the NCSP website.
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• Data Monitoring and Analytics
Elizabeth Pringle of the New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Science, representing laboratories, is the Scientist Unit Manager Clinical Support Directorate, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Anatomic Pathology Service Auckland Te Whatu Ora
SIA are currently working on regular NCSP Programme reporting as well as responding to custom data requests from both within the NSU and external parties.
We will bring you updates on this group’s work in future.
Linda Moir is the Charge Nurse Manager for the Cervical Screening Programme, Population Health Administration Team, Sexual Health, SAATS, and NIR at Te Whatu Ora Southern
• Ruth Swarbrick of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, representing colposcopists, is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist working at Te Whatu Ora Lakes
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• Wendy Burgess is a Māori Obstetrician Gynaecologist at Waitematā Health and Senior Lecturer at Waipapa Taumata Rau
Carmen Rewi de Joux is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Women's Health with Te Whatu Ora Southern
The Screening, Insights and Analytics (SIA) team are the data subject matter experts within the National Screening Unit (NSU). They produce reports for the national screening programmes which are required for monitoring purposes. They respond to custom requests for data and analysis from a wide range of areas including policy, academia and Parliamentary. The national screening programmes all have several key targets they must meet, and the assessment against those targets requires timely data analysis and reporting.
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The app can be viewed here https://minhealthnz.shinyapps.io/nsu ncsp coverage/ SIA are working alongside the HPV Primary Screening Project team to ensure that programme reporting and monitoring will be in place throughout the transition to HPV Primary Screening in July 2023.
They are also working closely with the NSU Clinicians and Te Tiriti and Equity Rōpū to understand requirements for Māori data governance, assessment and reporting, to put together an approach that will align to National Kaitiaki regulations: https://www.health.govt.nz/our work/populations/maori health/national kaitiaki group
In last month’s Sector Update we gave details of training services available for sample takers, which will help our campaign to boost screening numbers.
Some key dates are coming up in the next couple of months, which we have shared with regional coordinators and SSS groups. Cervical Screening Awareness month is in September
Prior to that the Smear Your Mea day/weekend will run from 26 28 August. The significance of this is that 26 August 2017 was the day the late Talei Morrison, the founder of SYM, was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
• Cervical Screening Awareness Month
• New Support to Screening Services Web Page
Now, we are aiming to create a new web page for our SSS teams This will include a map showing where services are located, plus contact details for access points to those services.
The SYM Trust has endorsed continuation of these dates in remembrance of Talei and to recognise the engagement that Smear Your Mea has with wāhine and whānau to emphasise the importance of cervical screening.
Please note these key dates. Any regional approaches for greater engagement, to coincide with these key dates, would be appreciated. What’s happening with the HPV Primary Screening Project July 2023 remains the target date for the move to HPV Primary Screening.
The Coverage App for SIA shows a key performance measure for the NCSP as it measures how many people are actively screening. Coverage is defined as the proportion of women eligible for screening who have been screened in a given time period.
Look out for more information about this in the September edition of Sector Update.
The Screen Takers Working Group met on 26 July and the Colposcopy Working Group on 27 July. Both the Register Working Group and the Kaimanaaki Working Group are meeting on 3 August
We have been seeking sector input to support the development of public facing resources for participants and their whānau. We are collating the feedback from the survey to discuss with the Māori and Pacific Campaign Advisory Groups and will then consult further with the HPV Primary Screening Working Groups
The newly realigned Sector Working Groups that will be needed to advise throughout the Implementation Phase of the Project, are now starting work as we prepare for the transition to HPV Primary Screening in July 2023
As we engage more closely with health professionals, we learn more about what the sector wants to know, and what information you require. We have been attending different hui to share information about the change to HPV Primary Screening and talk through what this means for you.
• Provide expert advice, guidance and advocacy needed to ensure the successful transition to HPV Primary Screening
Our Sector Working Groups are going to be a key part of this engagement and we have shared details below.
• Inform the development of, and provide feedback on, the Register functionality, resources, training materials and delivery approaches
• Identify challenges and opportunities the sector might have to the proposed changes, and
• Act as change champions, advocate for the HPV Primary Screening Project and build trust in the sector for the changes to cervical screening
The Laboratory Working Group will have its first meeting after the formal RFP process has concluded and we know which laboratories will be involved in the HPV Primary Screening and associated cytology work after July 2023. We are now focusing on appointing chairs for each group, from members of the NCSP Action and Advisory Group who also sit on the Working Groups We will come back to you with more information as the Working Groups progress their work
• New HPV Primary Screening resources
• Sector Working Groups
These groups have specific tasks to make sure that transition works in a clinically-safe way. They will:
• Sector Engagement
A deadline of Tuesday 9 August has been set for feedback, which will then allow us to complete the final version of the Guidelines.
It is important to know that we are at the start of a developing journey and that we will give the sector an opportunity to shape the decisions we will make on the Register.
We have received one request from a professional body to view the Draft and have done so on the above basis, noting also that the introductory section is still being redrafted and therefore the document is not is its final form.
• Laboratory Update
The formal RFP process is therefore still active and Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand will not be commenting until negotiations have been successfully concluded.
The new Register will be accessed by many more health professionals than the current version. It will be population based, giving us the opportunity to look for new functions that will benefit the sector to support wāhine, other participants and whānau
Two major functions we are working on are centralised notification (covering the first notification for someone starting on the screening programme) and recall (when someone already in the screening programme is notified about their next screen being due). The focus of this is to support administrative tasks to be managed centrally.
• Updated Clinical Practice Guidelines.
We will be engaging a provider to include focus groups to ensure resources meet the needs of wāhine, disability groups and LGBTQI+ We will keep the sector updated as this work progresses.
The evaluation of bids received under the request for proposals (RFP) for laboratory work required under HPV Primary Screening has now been completed.
• Register Update
Our focus is on ensuring the design of the new Register effectively supports the new clinical pathway and enables health providers to have direct look-up access to screening histories to support participants on their screening journey. It will enable improved reporting and monitoring
The newly edited Draft NCSP Clinical Practice Guidelines for Cervical Screening in New Zealand are being shared with the Working Groups. The current feedback we are looking for purely concerns readability and clarity of the new Draft, as the detailed consultation on the clinical pathway was completed last year.
Thanks to all those who took the time to complete the survey and share your views on the collateral that is available now (pamphlets, websites etc.). We had a great response.
If the participant wishes to have a swab taken sample, this can be either a self test, where they take the sample themselves, or they can have a clinician support person assist by using the swab to collect the sample for them.
Clinical oversight in the context of self testing means that the health professional is responsible for:
After receiving advice from the clinician, they have the choice of whether to have a swab taken sample (used for HPV testing only) or a clinician taken sample using a speculum. A clinician taken sample can then be used for HPV testing as well as cytology if required.
The first thing to note is that self-testing will be available in primary health care and community settings. This includes the participant doing the test in a place of their choice, including at home.
The definition of “self testing” is a test taken by the participant in any setting acceptable to them with the health provider providing clinical oversight
The participant has choices about the way their sample is taken.
• Ensuring the result is followed up and the next steps/referrals are completed as appropriate
It's a good time for us to provide you with some clarifications on self testing at home, and the choices available to participants, as we have become aware of different viewpoints in the sector as to what will be allowed when HPV Primary Testing goes live in July 2023.
• Providing the test kit to the participant (the scope limit of the HPV Primary Screening Project means that we cannot send out test kits centrally)
• Ensuring the participant is told of the test result
It is also important to know that self-testing is NOT the only option available to the participant from July 2023 (we have been made aware some in the sector have thought this is the case).
Over the coming months we will be working through the detailed requirements for access rights for different groups (e.g. who can read only, who can edit, etc.). We will be reaching out to the sector for feedback as we design these improvements.
• Giving advice and getting the informed consent of the participant
We hope this clarifies the position regarding self testing and participant choice. If you have any questions, please contact us at HPVScreen@health.govt.nz
• Ensuring the correct lab request information is completed
• Coordinating and receiving the test back
Participants should be fully informed of their options in order to make a personal choice.
• Ensuring the necessary Quality Assurance requirements are met (labelling/date etc)
Self Testing and Choice
Our new email address is proving a big success in giving health professionals a direct channel to contact the HPV Primary Screening Project Team and ask questions. We highlight recent queries below.
A second question this time from the media related to the benefits that HPV Primary Screening would provide for gender diverse participants. A recent media article focused on a trans gender man who missed being recalled for a screening when he changed his gender marker in the health system about eight years ago.
Currently, recalls are not handled from a centralised Register, but by individual health providers.
• Gender Diversity
As part of the programme change, NCSP is developing education and training for health professionals providing screening services and is developing resources that will support information to meet the needs of the LGBTQI+ communities.
The new system is being developed to support gender diversity and will capture data from the centralised National Health Index (NHI) and the National Enrolment service (NES). In addition, providers can enrol those who are eligible and not captured in the NHI/NES including people whose self identified gender differs from their biological sex.
The programme change to HPV Primary Screening provides choices for people with a cervix who experience whakamā (embarrassment) with the current test and find it unacceptable and/or uncomfortable. In addition, research suggests transgender and non binary people with a cervix would prefer the option to self test.
The future campaign approach to promote awareness of cervical screening and choices to self test is currently in development and will include consideration of the approaches that that will support gender diverse people to access screening services
Arequirement.technicalinterface does not currently exist with the National Immunisation System (NIS). However, the NIS system is now being upgraded/replaced and once this has been completed, we will look to provide integration into the new NCSP Register. This will not be part of the initial release. However, once the new NIS system is built, we can look at pulling the immunisation data into the new Register.
The NCSP provides cervical screening services to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 69 years of age.
One query we received is whether immunisation details will be captured in the new Register.
Both the NCSP Programme and the HPV Primary Screening Project team are aware of this as a
• Answers to Your Questions
• Immunisation Data
• Self
• This
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• HPV
• The
cervical
questions | National
The National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) is changing the way cervical screening is undertaken in New July 2023 the primary test for cervical screening will change to a human papillomavirus (HPV) test new screening method will test for the presence of HPV, the cause for 99% of cervical 80% of participants who develop cervical cancer in New Zealand have either never been screened or have been screened infrequently testing with clinical oversight will be an option for all participants and their whānau screening interval following a negative test will change to 5 years vaccination combined with regular screening provides the best protection from cancer asked Screening Unit (nsu.govt.nz)
• Staying in Touch Lots of people are passing on our Sector Update and our distribution list has increased dramatically over the last couple of months. If you know of anyone who wants to have their name added to the Sector Update distribution list, please let us know by dropping us a line. Your thoughts and queries are what we want to hear as we engage with you and communicate more in the coming months Please use our new email address HPVScreen@health.govt.nz. Your feedback is important to us. Noho ora mai NCSP Team
• Key Messaging Key messages to share about the HPV Virus: •
More key information to give wāhine/whānau is provided on the website Frequently
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