IOM Anti-Cancer Association are celebrating 50 years of the Staywell Clinic during 2014 and marked reaching this landmark figure at their recent AGM. The Staywell Clinic was introduced in 1964 to give the women of the Isle of Man an alternative venue for attending cervical screening, and has always been fully funded & managed by IOM Anti-Cancer Association.

Cervical screening was introduced on the Isle of Man in 1964, and at this time most cervical screening tests were undertaken by a doctor. This would mean that a woman would more likely have her test taken by a male doctor and may need to take time away from work or family to attend an appointment.

With the introduction of cervical screening on the Island, IOM Anti-Cancer Association also started the Staywell Clinic to complement the service provided by the doctors’ surgeries. The Staywell Clinic offered women the chance to attend a female-staffed clinic outside of the usual working hours, to encourage more women to take up the offer of a cervical screening test.

When the Staywell Clinic was first started, it had Clinics at different locations around the Island. Today, this service has now been centralised and streamlined, and the Staywell Clinic operates from the Women’s & Children’s Outpatient Department at Noble’s Hospital on a Monday and Thursday evening.

These days, most cervical screening tests are undertaken by a nurse rather than a doctor, and the life of the average women eligible for cervical screening is probably very different from what it would have been in 1964. However the Staywell Clinic still remains a very popular choice for women having their cervical screening test. The Staywell Clinic still offers the convenience of attending screening outside of the usual working hours in a female-staff clinic; and endeavours to make attending cervical screening as accessible as possible to encourage women to undertake this important test.

Speaking at the recent IOM Anti-Cancer Association AGM, Staywell Manager Carole Cowin spoke about the importance of providing the Staywell Clinic:

“Cancer Research UK tell us that cervical screening is estimated to save 5,000 per year in the UK! The Staywell Clinic has been in operation for 50 years, and provides cervical screening for up to 20 women per week – just think of the impact such a service will have had over this time on the fight against cervical cancer.”

Cervical screening on the Island is currently available for women aged 25 – 64, and eligible women should be sent an invite letter from the Department of Health & Social Care when they are due to attend screening. The leaflet enclosed with the invite letter gives details of how to contact the Staywell Clinic to make an appointment for a cervical screening test. The test takes only a few minutes to complete, but it is the best way of detecting early changes to the cervix (which could lead to cervical cancer) before any other symptoms are noticeable.

The Staywell Clinic is just one of the services IOM Anti-Cancer Association is involved in on the Island as part of its work against cancer. It costs the Association approximately ?15,500 per year to provide the Staywell Clinic, ensuring that cervical screening is accessible to reduce the barriers for women attending.

For more information about the work of IOM Anti-Cancer Association, please contact our Executive Officer on 252725 or visit our website www.iomaca.org.im.

- Ends -