Cervical Cancer Screening

John Mann
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what limitations there are on the hours of NHS staff screening for cervical cancer. [104188]

Ms Blears
[holding answer 21 March 2003]: National guidelines state that screeners can be safely and effectively utilised on cervical cytology microscopy for four hours in a normal working day1. The working day should be organised such that a break in continuous screening should be of at least 20 minutes' duration. This break should be taken after no more than two hours at the microscope. 1 Laboratory Organisation: A guide for Laboratories Participating in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme (January 2003)