The Cervical Screening Register (CSR) is the secure electronic database managed by CervicalCheck that contains the demographic details of women who are eligible for free smear tests. A woman’s demographic details include name, address, date of birth and Personal Public Service Number (PPS No.). The demographic details on the register are obtained from the Department of Social Protection and from women when they register or when they go for their smear test.
Each woman is given a unique identification number on the register. This is the Cervical Screening Programme Identifier (CSPID).
The CSR also records the results of a woman’s smear tests (screening history), colposcopy procedures and any biopsies taken at a colposcopy clinic.
CervicalCheck uses the information contained on the register to:
- invite women by letter to make an appointment for a free CervicalCheck smear test when it is due;
- advise women when smear test results are available and what steps to take;
- help to review how well the programme is working by compiling statistics and reports. A woman’s name will never be included in these reports;
- possibly invite women to take part in research if they separately consent to do so.
To keep the Register up to date, women should inform CervicalCheck of any change to their personal details such as name or address.
The Health (Provision of Information) Act 1997 allows CervicalCheck to obtain and store the details of women within the target population in order to deliver a cervical screening programme. CervicalCheck is registered with the Data Protection Commissioner.