THE death of reality TV star Jade Goody has led to a rise in the percentage of Derbyshire women screened for cervical cancer.

Latest figures show that the number of women screened in the past five years in Derby has risen from 80.7% to 81%.

And outside the city, across the rest of the county, that figure went from 84.7% to 84.9%.

The figures were recorded in the financial years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 among women aged 25 to 64.

The statistics were released in October by the NHS Information Centre, which said the heavy publicity surrounding Jade Goody's battle with cervical cancer was responsible for the rise.

It was the first time since 2002 that the number of women who were up-to-date with their cervical screening had risen across the UK.

The latest statistics were recorded until the end of March and there has been increased demand for screening since then. In April, the Derby Telegraph reported that Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust had seen its workload increase by around 40%.