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When she went for her first smear test, she was asked to lie on the floor instead of an examination table because it was not safe.

In February 2023, BBC News NI broke the Southern Trust Cervical scandal when it reported that a woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer had three previous abnormal smear tests that were missed.

She told how women would arrive "none-the-wiser", expecting a normal medical test - but were instead subject to a "full internal screening" - cervical smear tests and full sexual health checks.

It says patients should be offered local or general anaesthesia for the procedure and their medical history should be taken into account, including trauma or difficulty with smear tests.

Women are invited for cervical-cancer screening – what used to be known as the smear test – every three to five years between the ages of 25 and 65.