Bowel Cancer Screening

Bowel cancer screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage, in people with no symptoms, when treatment is more likely to be effective. Please click here to read about bowel cancer symptoms.

Bowel screening is offered to people aged 54 to 74 years-old across Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire to help find bowel cancer early, when it can often be cured.

The Bowel Cancer Screening Programme provides Bowel Cancer Screening Services for around 155,000 people in Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire.

The Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire Bowel Screening Programme currently offers screening every two years to men and women aged 54 to 74, with plans to include 52 and 50 year olds by April 2025. People over 74 can request a screening kit by calling the free phone helpline 0800 707 6060.

Video information about the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme

English - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W26DWoOGfZo

Urdu – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msFADikfvtI&t=61s

Arabic – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss-e0a-4hrs&t=11s

Farsi – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dEWKL2bl7U

Punjabi – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5xsYS8u5j4

Cantonese – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCGStYVgQ4E&t=1s

Polish – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTcK8S1i2Vg&t=2s

Bengali – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyfveprBbC8&t=44s

Hindi – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1JPqhq5hdc&t=18s

Gujarati – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwbA0ZAYx8g

Mandarin – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er6-Xfu3uXg&t=32s

Sorani – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B71yBCpUoE

Pashto – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbGlfTMErnQ

How common is bowel cancer?

About 1 in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK claiming more than 16,000 lives a year, that’s over 44 people every day.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, after breast, prostate and lung cancers.
Every 15 minutes in the UK someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer. That’s over 42,000 people every year. Every 30 minutes someone dies from the disease in the UK.
Bowel cancer is more common in the over 50s, but it can affect people of all ages. More than 2,500 people under 50 are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK every year.
1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Bowel cancer is treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stage will survive bowel cancer. However, this drops significantly as the disease develops. Early diagnosis really does save lives.
People with a family history of bowel cancer have an increased risk of developing the disease. People who take little exercise, people who are overweight and people who have a diet high in red meat and low in vegetables, fruits and fibre are all thought to have an increased risk of developing bowel cancer.

Who is the service for?

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers screening every two years to all men and women aged 54 to 74.

Patients in this age group will automatically be sent an invitation letter from the Southern Bowel Cancer Screening Programme Hub (based in Guildford, Surrey) to take part in the screening programme.

Patients will then receive their Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) kit through the post for them to complete in the privacy of their own home.

Once the FIT kit has been completed, people are asked to send the kit back to the Southern Bowel Cancer Screening Programme Hub where the screening kits are tested to detect tiny amounts of blood, which you cannot normally see in your bowel motions.

If a patient has had an unclear or abnormal result they will be invited to retest. Once a retest has been completed and an abnormal result has been identified then the patient will receive an invitation letter for a clinic appointment with our Specialist Screening Practitioner to discuss having a colonoscopy.

The FIT test does not diagnose bowel cancer, but the results will tell you whether you need an examination of your bowel, a colonoscopy. Click here for more information about tests and investigations which might take place.

For more information on how to use the FIT kit, please see the following links:

NHS bowel test
NHS home screening
PHE video showcase

When is the service available?

The Bath Swindon and Wiltshire Bowel Cancer Screening Programme provides telephone or face-to-face assessment clinics and hospital diagnostic tests from Monday to Friday.

What happens at an assessment clinic appointment?

People with an abnormal or a positive FIT result will be sent an invitation letter to attend an appointment with our Specialist Screening Practitioner (SSP). The consultation appointment will take place either face-to-face or over the telephone and will take around 45 minutes.

Important information:

Ensure you have a list of any medication that you are currently taking as the SSP will need this information.
If English is not your first language, you can request an interpreter by calling 0800 707 6060 or 01722 429177.
If you require a face to face consultation appointment with our SSP, please call 0800 707 6060 or 01722 429177.

What will happen at your consultation appointment?

The SSP will discuss the following with you during your appointment:

Talk to you about your screening results
Describe what happens during a colonoscopy procedure
Explain the possible risks and benefits
Ask some questions about your health
Answer any questions you may have

The SSP will assess if you are fit enough for a colonoscopy. If you are, it is your choice whether you want to go ahead with the colonoscopy procedure investigation.

The SSP will also be able to answer any questions or concerns that you may have, in order to relieve any stress, anxiety or concerns with the screening programme.

What happens at a colonoscopy appointment?

Click here to read our 'NHS Bowel Cancer Screening - Having a colonoscopy' patient information leaflet.

All colonoscopy appointments are undertaken by our Accredited Screening Consultants. This is a Gold Standard service in which Consultants must go through a strict training programme and examination in order to be accepted onto the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

NHS Information:

Tests and investigations which might take place
Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy: what happens on the day

Colonoscopy appointments are often undertaken in the Endoscopy Unit and ward staff will provide every support for patient during their time spent in the department to ensure they are comfortably looked after.

All colonoscopy appointments take place at the following locations:

Salisbury District Hospital
Royal United Hospital Bath
Great Western Hospital Swindon

The Bath Swindon and Wiltshire Bowel Cancer Screening Programme provide the following services:

Consultation telephone appointment with a Specialist Screening Practitioner/Nurse, colonoscopy procedure and follow-up appointments (if needed)
Provides alternative investigations where colonoscopy is not appropriate
Provides pathology services
Refer those requiring treatment for cancer to their local colorectal multi-disciplinary team.

Requesting another bowel screening kit

If you’ve made a mistake, misplaced, or didn’t receive your screening kit, you can request a replacement test kit by contacting the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Hub:

By phone – 0800 707 6060
By email – bowelscreening@nhs.net

When asking for a replacement kit, please give your:

Name
Date of Birth
Home Address
Contact Details

Key Staff/Consultants

Programme Manager – Becky Harris

Clinical Director – Mr Andy Agombar

Deputy Programme Manager – Neal Wynne

Consultants:

Mr Graham Branagan
Mr Chaitanya Mehta
Dr Jane Bowles
Dr Khalid Keshk
Dr Manish Hegde
Dr Pete Marden
Dr John Saunders
Dr Jonathan Quinlan

Contact Details

For enquiries with regards your screening invitation letter and home screening FIT kit, please call the free bowel cancer screening helpline on:

Telephone: 0800 707 60 60

Email: bowelscreening@nhs.net

For enquiries with regard your clinic appointment with the Specialist Screening Practitioner and your colonoscopy appointment, please call the Bath Swindon & Wiltshire Screening Centre on:

Clinical Enquiries: 01722 429177 (Mon to Fri)

Appointments: 01722 429177 (Mon to Fri)

News and Blogs

Information about community engagement and development projects

Healthy eating and lifestyle impact
Fund raising for Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer research projects

Forum discussions – general discussions, FIT home testing kit, BOSS, other talk, staff feedback (Members only – need signing up with contact details)

Cancer Research UK
Bowel Cancer UK
Macmillan UK

Awareness and promotional campaigns

Bowel Cancer UK awareness and promotional campaigns
Our #GetOnARoll campaign | Bowel Cancer UK
London bowel cancer screening campaign - North Central London Cancer Alliance

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