Cancer Information
Bowel Cancer Screening
NHS bowel cancer screening checks if you could have bowel cancer. It’s available to everyone aged 60 to 74 years.
The programme is expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50 to 59 years. This is happening gradually over 4 years and started in April 2021.
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.
At Park Road Surgery, we support the NHS Bowel Screening Programme. If you are in the eligible age group and have recently received a bowel screening kit through the post, we would ask you to complete and return the test.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK. The aim of the Bowel Screening Programme is to discover bowel cancer at an early stage, before symptoms have a chance to develop. The sooner it’s caught, the easier it is to treat and treatment is more likely to be successful. Bowel screening involves a simple test that you carry out in your own home.
We encourage you to consider doing this screening test, which you then send off in the envelope for analysis. Whether or not to do the test is your choice, so you should read the information you were sent with your screening invitation to help you decide.
If you have not received your screening pack or wish to have another sent out to you, please telephone the following number, which is the bowel screening helpline: 0800 707 6060.
If you’re not sure how to complete the test itself or want more information, this website will give you further information: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/
or speak to your practice nurse who can explain how to complete the kit.
If there is anything else that you’d like to know or discuss about bowel screening, please do not hesitate to contact the surgery for further advice.
Cancer care support
If you have recently been diagnosed with cancer or are undergoing tests or treatment, we are here to support you.
You may be invited for a cancer care review appointment with a GP, which would give us the opportunity to discuss any on-going treatment you may have, any consequences or side-effects of your treatment, and talk through any concerns or needs that you may have. We will be able to identify what support can be provided. You’re welcome to bring a family member or friend with you to the appointment as they may also have concerns or may need some support.
Information about services and support available can also be found at:
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support
It would be helpful if you could complete the attached holistic needs assessment and bring this to your cancer care review appointment:
Macmillan Cancer Support holistic needs assessment
If you have any queries or concerns, please do make an appointment with your GP.
Embarrassed: Raising Awareness of Prostate Cancer
Please see the link below for further information on prostate cancer. The clip aims to raise awareness and helps reduce the embarrassment of prostate cancer
