The UK’s largest platform for parents and childcare professionals is offering mothers an hour of free childcare so they can attend a smear test. The offer is available nationwide, with more than 500 childcarers signed up to the initiative so far. The initiative has been introduced after the platform saw a few independent childcare providers offer the service, and was inspired to roll it out across the UK. Smear tests help doctors determine whether women are at risk of cervical cancer, which in 99.8% of cases is preventable, however figures show the take up is at a 20-year low.

The UK’s largest platform for parents and childcarers is offering an hour’s free childcare to mothers across the UK so they can attend a cervical screening test.

Childcare.co.uk has launched the nationwide initiative to encourage more women to attend a smear test to determine whether they are at risk of cervical cancer, which in 99.8% of cases is preventable* with early treatment*, however figures show the take up is at a 20-year low**.

So far, more than 500 childcare providers have signed up to offer the free hour of childcare. Mothers can book a childcare professional who is offering the service here: https://www.childcare.co.uk/news/free-childcare-for-smear-tests.

Last month it was reported that some individual childcarers in a few areas of the UK, have been offering a free hour of childcare to mothers so they can go to a cervical screening appointment. After seeing this, Childcare.co.uk was inspired to roll it out nationwide, to ensure that all mothers have the time to go to an appointment.

Every year in the UK, around 3,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer***. In the UK, women are invited to get a cervical screening from the age of 25 to 64 by the NHS to help check for cancerous cells and prevent cancer****. While the test usually takes just five minutes, Childcare.co.uk providers are offering mothers a free hour of childcare, to allow time for waiting times and travel to and from the doctor’s surgery.

Childcare.co.uk is a platform that allows parents to search for and connect with babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, private tutors and schools and allows childcare providers to advertise their services. The site has more than 2 million users nationwide and is the largest online community for parents in the UK, having launched in 2009.

Richard Conway, Childcare.co.uk founder said, “There’s been a lot in the media about a fall in women not attending smear tests for various reasons, and I suspect a main one for mothers is not finding the time around their children.

“We wouldn’t want women missing out on their smear test because of a lack of childcare and we loved that individual childcarers were offering this, so we thought we’d help out. Within the first few hours of us asking our members, we had more than 500 childcarers sign up to the initiative. We hope this will make a huge difference!”