I have never had a smear test here in my own country because the barriers to attendance have so far been insurmountable, so I was encouraged when I discovered a new pilot pop-up screening service in Birmingham: “By bringing cervical screening directly into neighbourhoods, we aim to make it easier for more women to get screened and to support earlier detection of cervical cancer.”
But was it the solution I’d been waiting for? I’d experienced cervical screening abroad but would the NHS measure up in comparison?
Cervical screening in Korea
When one thinks of medical tourism, images of non-emergency facial surgeries or liposuction spring to mind. In my case, I indulged in a rather different kind of medical service as a tourist when I last visited South Korea on a leisure trip in 2023. Not for free and without translation services provided (my command of Korean is functional enough to get by), I went for a ‘hat trick’ of a dental check-up, eye test, and cervical smear test all on the same day.
Only one of these tests, the cervical smear test at a private women’s clinic, required pre-booking via the receptionist. Although the receptionists didn’t speak English, the gynaecologist did, so I felt confident about communication. The whole experience went as smoothly as a vagina-based encounter with a stranger in a foreign country can be expected to go. The test was carried out whilst I wore a clean, specially-provided pink robe, I saw images of the scan live on screen accompanied by a reassuring commentary from the doctor, then had a brief one-to-one consultation afterwards where I received a prescription for a mild infection.
I was able to pick up and pay for my medicine immediately using the pharmacy counter two floors down. From start to finish, the whole thing was over within 30 minutes, and I was left only mildly flustered by being told by the assistant nurse to wear the slippers provided during my examination.
The frustrations of cervical screening in Birmingham
Whereas the Korean system invites women with residential status and medical insurance for their free smear test and mammogram every two years, the NHS used to offer “everyone with a cervix” (including trans men and non-binary people) aged 25-64 cervical smears tests free of charge once every three years. This has changed to once every five years. And yet, as a 47-year-old female UK citizen, having always been registered with a local GP with an up-to-date mailing address, I have never had a smear test here in my own country; the obstacles in getting an appointment have so far been overwhelming.
My previous GP practice had a routine check-up invitation protocol which resulted in male receptionists continuously calling me during my working hours to invite me to cervical screenings such that, in the end, I had to request that they stopped contacting me by phone.
I subsequently received various letters by mail which contained broken links for appointment bookings and recommendations to contact medical practices which had closed down during the pandemic and never re-opened. I have now been labelled on the NHS system as a ‘non-responder’ despite explaining my circumstances during a face-to-face appointment with my GP.
A change of GP doesn’t make things any better
I changed to another GP practice recently and have had such difficulties booking basic face-to-face appointments that I fear losing large chunks of my life if I were to request a smear test through their online form booking system. The Guardian reports the experience of a user of the system: “As Kafkaesque vicious circles went, it was up with the best of them.” The practice also seems to operate on a quick-fire SMS-based call-up system whereby I might blink and miss the message that invited me to an appointment slot an hour ago.
Anyone who menstruates, especially during their perimenopausal years, might understand that this adds another layer of roulette to the system of appointment scheduling.
A Birmingham pop-up service brings optimism
In December 2025, my attempt to use my precious Christmas break to grab a smear test suddenly became more like a round of Pokemon Go! than a medical examination. I had spotted a Facebook post aimed at Mandarin and Cantonese speakers advertising a pop-up mobile cervical screening service. The ad also welcomed anyone of any culture due for their smear test.
On the second day of my winter break, I scurried optimistically off to a car park next to a building site in a down-at-heel area of Digbeth. I had first checked on Facebook to see if the van was open and seen photos of smiling staff outside a mobile unit. I still had hope in my heart that my journey far out of my way would be worthwhile. I arrived at the pop-up site shortly before 1:45pm, an hour and three-quarters before the advertised closing time.
Another disappointment
A woman brushed past me on her way out of the unit and a medical practitioner inside responded to my tap on the door and let me inside. I patiently waited while the member of NHS staff updated records on the computer. But there was a problem: they had just received instructions to close early, explaining that someone had already collected most of the equipment and someone else was already on their way to collect the van itself.
I am grateful to this member of staff and their patience for spending several minutes with me and checking my details carefully under somewhat fraught circumstances. However, without the required equipment and under instructions to close up, they were not able to carry out the test even though I was there within the advertised opening times, there was a medically trained member of staff right there in front of me and there were no other patients waiting. I left with just a folded-up paper flyer with a QR code link and a sense of utter frustration.
Women need a service that encourages cervical screening
The flyer in my hand ironically proclaimed that “cervical screening comes to you”. I cannot be alone in thinking that women want a service that operates from an address that they can find, where they can contact people to make appointments at times that will suit their schedules (not vice versa), and that isn’t unexpectedly closed on arrival. Last November, NHS England released statistics revealing that “Five million women were not up-to-date with cervical screening”. To me, this is hardly surprising.
In my opinion, ‘gamification’ of the experience is not the answer to increasing engagement with cervical smear tests. I cannot speak for all women, but I do not seek the ‘thrill of the chase’ where routine medical checks are concerned. Nor do I want to spend my ever-dwindling downtime hunting down vans across the city during the coldest month of the year to get my bits out. However, this mobile cervical screening service offers the best chance for me to get up-to-date on a cervical smear test so far.
The service continues at various locations in Birmingham throughout January from 9.30am-3.30pm.
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