For the general public, the most obvious difference between opportunistic cervical screening and an organised screening programme is that women receive an invitation when it is time for them to be screened. In addition to this, the other main elements of an organised programme are that it has:

• A published screening policy with set age ranges, screening intervals and procedures,
• A management team responsible for administering the programme, 
• Appropriate services for follow-up and management of women with a positive screening test,
• An established quality assurance programme
• A method for recording cancers in the target population

The purpose of these elements is to ensure that all women are regularly screening, that women with a positive screening test are properly followed-up, that the programme offers the highest possible quality of service and that the quality of the service can be properly monitored.

Organised cervical screening programmes offer the most efficient and equitable protection against cervical cancer. For these reasons, the European Guidelines for cervical cancer screening recommend that cervical cancer screening should only be offered through organised screening programmes

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