What is bowel cancer screening, who is responsible for the delivery and who is eligible
Bowel cancer screening is a test which looks for blood in a sample of poo. This could be a sign of bowel cancer.
In Surrey and Sussex, bowel cancer screening is offered to everyone aged 50-74 every two years with a home faecal immunochemical test (FIT kit) arriving to residents' addresses in the post. Invitations are managed by the Southern Bowel Hub, based in Guildford.
Should anyone aged over the age of 50, including those aged 75-plus, realise they have not completed a test within the last two years, and now wish to, they can contact the Southern Bowel Hub on Freephone 0800 707 60 60 or email rsc-tr.bcspsouthernhub@nhs.net
Patient urges others to do the bowel screening test
Gill Meaker had no symptoms before a routine screening test led to her being diagnosed with bowel cancer by the Southern Bowel Hub.
The fit and active 71‑year‑old mother of two,
from Walton in Surrey, said receiving the diagnosis felt like the darkest day of her life, but she’s lucky to have caught the cancer early.
Read her full story here: Gill Meaker's story
Bowel cancer screening awareness campaign
Every April, Bowel Cancer Awareness Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness about bowel cancer and bowel cancer screening. Visit our events calendar to find resources such as posters and leaflets for patient waiting rooms and community settings to support the awareness event. We upload awareness materials a few weeks before April. Thanks to the Sussex Bowel Cancer Screening Programme teams for this new poster - see right. Click on the image to download or find it it the events calendar.
Feedback from the local bowel screening services
Click on the image below to download and use in patient communications, social media and websites.
Resources to support healthcare professionals
We have produced a toolkit to support our colleagues in general practice in improving uptake of bowel cancer screening among eligible patients.
It includes:
Essential reading materials and education
Top tips to improve uptake
A handy checklist to record actions taken
Posters, leaflets and awareness materials to share with patients
Translated and easy read patient information
Find more information about bowel screening by clicking on the logos below
