NHS bowel cancer screening checks if you could have bowel cancer. It's available to everyone aged 54 to 74 years. The programme is gradually expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50 to 53 years.
You use a home test kit, called a faecal immunochemical test (FIT), to collect a small sample of poo and send it to a lab. This is checked for tiny amounts of blood. If the test finds anything unusual, you might be asked to go to hospital to have further tests to confirm or rule out cancer.
Always see a GP if you have symptoms of bowel at any age - do not wait to have a screening test. Further information on signs/symptoms can be found below.
NHS: Bowel Cancer Symptoms
Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS) have produced the below video summarising what to expect from the Bowel Screening programme. This looks at the importance of early diagnosis and how to use the screening kit.
This resource is also available in Arabic, Hindi, Polish, Romanian, Urdu, Bengali, Ukrainian, Somali, Russian, Kurdish, Gujarati, Punjabi and BSL interpretation via the link below.
Translated videos
Hear from Jeff, a cancer survivor from Stoke–on–Trent, on how a FIT test diagnosed his bowel cancer early, making it easier to treat.
Mark Doran, Senior Commissioning Cancer Lead at Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, describes how to complete a FIT test and why completing the kit is so important.
NHSE is the Lead commissioner for two Bowel Screening Hubs:
Both hubs work closely with General Practice and Midlands Bowel Screening Centres. The hubs issue the FIT kits out to all eligible patients and analyse the test once returned. Both hubs span across other regions and undertake the postal requirements and liaise with these screening centres to inform population coverage. In addition to the hub contracts, we also directly contract Bowel Screening Provider Centres (13 in total across East and West Midlands) who oversee and undertake Colonoscopy activity for eligible patients who have had an abnormal test result.
To inform the bowel screening pathway screening commissioners work closely with ICS Cancer Leads, Cancer Alliance and Endoscopy Teams to inform the cancer pathway of care. We also support Health and Justice Prisons Health Care Teams to facilitate the offer of bowel screening to eligible patients who reside in Midlands detained estates, with dedicated pieces of work focusing on awareness and uptake amongst this community group
There is several national ambitions and programme mandated changes being proposed for this Screening Programme including the continued Age X for 52,s and 50-year-olds, discard and resect and FIT @80ug Pilot.
GOV UK: Bowel Cancer Screening Programme Overview NHS: Bowel Cancer Screening GOV UK: How to Use Your Bowel Cancer Screening Kit - Multiple Languages YouTube: How to Complete a FIT - North East London Cancer Alliance Bowel Cancer UK: At Home Bowel Cancer Test OUTpatients UK: Cancer Resources for LGBTIQ+ Community
GOV UK: Bowel Cancer Screening Programme Overview
NHS: Bowel Cancer Screening
GOV UK: How to Use Your Bowel Cancer Screening Kit - Multiple Languages
YouTube: How to Complete a FIT - North East London Cancer Alliance
Bowel Cancer UK: At Home Bowel Cancer Test
OUTpatients UK: Cancer Resources for LGBTIQ+ Community