"It has been a fairly unpleasant experience both times"

I have had two cervical screenings at The Riverside Practice, both performed by the same nurse, and sadly it has been a fairly unpleasant experience both times. Unfortunately I don't know the name of this practice nurse.

The first screening took place in 2019. It was my first cervical screening, so I was experiencing some nervousness. The nurse instructed me to get undressed and then left me laying naked from the waist down for a good five minutes, with nothing to cover me, while she did something on her computer. This made me feel very uncomfortable and exposed. When she got round to the procedure, her approach felt lacking in care. She did not talk me through the procedure at all (which I feel should always happen when such an intimate test is being carried out, let alone when it's the patient's first time), nor did she warn me when the speculum was going in. I found the whole experience cold and unfeeling.

Unfortunately, three years later in 2022, my smear test was just the same. This time, I asked for something to cover me as I remembered what happened last time - and again nothing had been offered to me.

The nurse did not talk me through the procedure, and in my opinion abruptly shoved the speculum inside me without warning and with what felt like minimal lubrication. The procedure itself was then very rough and somewhat painful, which it should not be. This made me feel really uncomfortable.

When carrying out such an intimate procedure that many people feel nervous about, I feel medical professionals should be employing a kind, clear, consensual bedside manner. I think they should always let you know when they are about to touch you or insert something into you. In my opinion this nurse's bedside manner is, quite frankly, crap. It is reported that the uptake of smear tests is so low and I think this is why!

If I was someone who was scared of getting my smear, this experience would put me off going back.

Cervical screenings are so important to get, so I feel medical professionals need to remember that there is an actual human being on the end of the speculum - please!