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 with a learning disability
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.
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.
How you can support your clients or patients to take part in screening
This training video has been created with Health Promotion Leads across North Central London to support VCSE organisations and health professionals in improving access to cancer screening.
The video provides 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.
This resource is intended for VCSE organisations, community partners, and health and care professionals. It is not designed for the general public.
For further support or programme-specific queries, please contact your local screening leads using the details provided at the end of the video.