Improving bowel cancer screening participation
Screening encouragement by phone
To support the bowel cancer screening programme age extension, we are working with Community Links to call newly invited people to participate in the programme. The phone calls are made about three months before their invitation is sent and is designed to relay the importance of bowel cancer screening, and how to use the FIT kit. Trained health facilitators are recruited from local communities who can speak in the patient’s preferred language, allowing them to build trust with individuals and encourage them to act on the advice provided.
Adam’s first bowel cancer screening
Don’t wipe away the signs
Don’t Wipe Away the Signs is a campaign involving local pharmacies (as well as voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations) in raising awareness of bowel cancer symptoms among the public and encouraging more uptake of bowel cancer screening among people aged 50–74.
A brief prompt or reassurance from trusted pharmacy staff can be the deciding factor in whether someone seeks help if they have possible symptoms or completes a bowel screening test.
Public information about the campaign is available on our smallc website.
Participating pharmacies:
- Engage customers in targeted conversations about symptoms and screening
- Offer customers campaign information
- Display campaign posters in store
Pre-campaign briefing included a webinar on understanding the possible signs and symptoms of bowel cancer and information on bowel cancer screening.