Screening participation and vulnerable people
People experiencing homelessness
We have worked with several partners to identify barriers to taking part in screening and the reasonable adjustments that could be made for people experiencing homelessness.
We are piloting some of the reasonable adjustments in NCL, with the longer-term goal to roll out a coordinated approach for London. Reasonable adjustments include tailored resources for PEH and key workers. Alongside these activities, a campaign, Your Health First, in partnership with homelessness support organisations, has provided a way of taking screening participation messages directly to people experiencing homelessness.
People living with severe mental illness
We are working closely with our NCL Integrated Care System partners to deliver the cancer screening recommendations outlined in the NCL Longer Lives Strategy to improve participation of people living with serious mental illness (SMI) and support mental health teams to have increased knowledge on cancer screening and promote it to their clients.
People with a learning disability
We work with health and care partners in North Central London to support people with a learning disability to participate in cancer screenings. These materials have been developed to provide health and care and professionals with the knowledge and tools to help those clients and patients, and their carers.
Resources
In partnership with Barnet Mencap, we have developed cancer screening resources for people with learning disabilities and their carers. We implemented a train the trainer model for learning disability teams to continue sharing key messages about cancer screening in their organisations and the reasonable adjustments available for people with learning disabilities. We are continuing to support people with a learning disability through strengthening the cancer screening offer within annual health checks.
This training video has been created with Health Promotion Leads across North Central London to support voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations and health professionals in improving access to cancer screening. It is not designed for the general public.,
The video gives an overview of the four national screening programmes, highlights the importance of early detection, explores common barriers people may face, and outlines reasonable adjustments and supportive approaches that can make screening more accessible and inclusive.
Contact details for local screening leads are provided at the end of the video.
Promoting access to adult screening for people with a learning disability contains practical guidance and resources for healthcare professionals, social workers and learning disability services.
The pack provides clear information on the national cancer screening programmes – bowel, breast, cervical and lung, as well as diabetic eye screening and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening.
It includes guidance on the Mental Capacity Act and making best‑interest decisions, in addition to person‑centred resources such as reasonable adjustment guidance, checklists and screening action plans.
