Bowel cancer screening resources
On this page, you’ll find links to useful information and resources relating to bowel cancer screening for health and social care professionals, patients and service users.
Information on bowel cancer screening for health and social care professionals
This section provides links to resources on bowel cancer screening for healthcare professionals. Some of these resources may also be beneficial for patients and service users.
Health and social care professionals, families and carers can use the easy read letters below to explain bowel cancer screening to people with learning disabilities.
Bowel cancer screening invitation letter: easy read format
Bowel cancer screening results letter – no further tests needed: easy read format
Bowel cancer screening results letter – no further tests needed (previous cancer): easy read format
Bowel cancer screening results letter – more tests needed: easy read format
Information on bowel cancer screening for patients and service users
This section provides information on bowel cancer screening for patients and service users, including specific audiences and information in accessible formats.
Male lifetime screening pathway
a short video for patients by the UK National Screening Committee explaining more about the bowel cancer screening pathway for men.
Female lifetime screening pathway
a short video for patients by the UK National Screening Committee explaining more about the bowel cancer screening pathway for women.
An NHS overview of bowel cancer screening for patients
An overview of the the NHS bowel cancer screening programme and description of the screening pathway.
An NHS overview of bowel cancer, including symptoms, causes, test and treatment.
An explanation of what polyps are, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, causes and how they relate to bowel cancer.
NHS bowel cancer screening – helping you decide (PDF)
A patient information leaflet about bowel cancer screening, with guidance on correctly using the FIT kit.
patient information on how to use the FIT kit. Available in several languages.
Bowel cancer screening: colonoscopy
This leaflet provides information on having a colonoscopy if further tests are needed after using the NHS bowel cancer screening test kit. Available in several languages.
NHS website with information about the colonoscopy, how and why it’s done and the results.
What happens during a colonoscopy?
An NHS video for patients explaining the colonoscopy procedure.
Bowel cancer screening: having a CTC scan (PDF)
Information for patients about the CTC scan as part of NHS bowel cancer screening.
NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme: Colonoscopies for patients with Lynch syndrome (PDF)
Helping you decide: providing an overview of what Lynch Syndrome is, risks and benefits of having a colonoscopy and taking part in bowel cancer screening.
Easy read formats
Guide: An easy guide to bowel cancer screening (PDF)
This leaflet can be used by health professionals, family and carers to explain the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to people with learning disabilities.
Guide: An easy guide to having a colonoscopy
This leaflet can be used by health professionals, family and carers to explain the colonoscopy procedure to people with learning disabilities.
Guide: Bowel cancer screening: an easy guide to having a CTC scan (PDF)
This leaflet can be used by health professionals, family and carers to explain the CTC procedure to people with learning disabilities.
Guide: colonoscopies for people with Lynch Syndrome (PDF)
This leaflet can be used by health professionals, family and carers to explain colonoscopies to Lynch Syndrome patients with learning disabilities.
British Sign Language (BSL)
Bowel cancer screening letters: BSL signed content
Bowel cancer screening providers can direct people with hearing loss who use British Sign Language (BSL) to the above BSL signed versions of the national letter templates as appropriate.
Animated formats
Beyond words: An Easy Guide to Bowel Cancer Screening (PDF)
This booklets can be used by health professionals, family and carers to explain the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to people who cannot read or do not like written words.
Beyond words: An Easy Guide to Having a Colonoscopy (PDF)
This booklets can be used by health professionals, family and carers to explain colonoscopies to people who cannot read or do not like written words.
Using your bowel cancer screening kit
This short animation explains how to use your bowel cancer screening kit. Subtitles are available in English, as well as Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Farsi, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. A British Sign Language version is also available.
Braille
Resources in braille can be obtained by contacting the London Hub on 08007076060.
UK bowel cancer charity
UK registered charity. Independent funder of cancer research
UK charity for people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or Colitis
UK charity funding research into the digestive system from top to tail.
UK charity supporting people living with cancer
Your next poo could save your life
Webpage with information and resources designed to encourage patients to take part in bowel cancer screening when invited.
General information on screening for health and social care professionals
This section provides links to a range of general resources related to screening for health and social care professionals.
Guidance on reducing inequalities for people with a learning disability, autism or both
Health professionals can use this guidance to help people with a learning disability and / or autism better understand and access screening if they wish to do so.
Guidance: improving access to screening for people with SMI
Information for commissioners and screening providers to help improve access to screening for people with SMI, including those in high, medium and low secure mental healthcare settings.
Report: inequalities in cancer screening uptake for people with SMI
This report presents an analysis of differences in the uptake of bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening in England between people with and without SMI.
Guidance: improving access for people in secure and detained settings
This guidance primarily refers to screening for people in prisons but also applies to people in other NHS Health and Justice secure and detained settings such as immigration removal centres, secure children’s homes, secure training centres and young offender institutions.
Blog: addressing inequalities in LGBTQI+ cancer screening coverage
Public Health England (PHE) existed to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. It closed on 30 September 2021 with it’s responsibilities being passed to the UK Health Security Agency (HSA). This blog is no longer updated.
Cancer screening and people with learning disabilities
Guidance for health care professionals, social care staff and family members to help someone with learning disabilities to be screened for cancer.
Guidance on opting out of screening
Guidance for healthcare professionals to use with patients who want to opt out of screening.
Guidance: Duty of Candour (2020)
This publication provides advice to providers and commissioners of NHS screening programmes on best practice around duty of candour.
Other useful screening information and resources for patients and service users
This section provides links to other useful resources around screening, such as: registering with a GP to ensure patients receive screening invitations; opting out of screening; and determining cancer risk.
To ensure that patients receive invitations to bowel cancer screening, they need to be registered with a GP. The following resources will provide guidance and support on this.
An NHS service that helps to locate GPs based on a UK postcode search.
Registering with a GP: a guide for people experiencing homelessness (PDF)
Registering with a GP: a guide for Gypsy, Traveller, and Roma communities (PDF)
Registering with a GP: a guide for asylum seekers and refugees (PDF)
Population screening explained
A HM Government guide that sets out what population screening is, how it works, and its limitations.
Population screening timeline (PDF)
An NHS infographic showing when different types of screening are offered including bowel cancer screening.
Guidance on opting out of screening
A general guide on what a patient needs to do if they choose to opt out of screening, including bowel cancer screening.
Reducing inequalities and barriers in accessing NHS screening programmes
A series of short video clips of service users with learning disabilities talking about screening.
NHS population screening: information for trans and non-binary people
Information for trans (transgender) and non-binary people in England about the adult NHS screening programmes that are available in England and who is invited for screening.
Population screening support for carers
Guidance to support carers and care providers to understand the NHS screening programmes.
Guidance on predictive genetic tests for cancer risk genes
A leaflet discussing predictive genetic testing which is used to look for inherited gene mutations that might put a person at higher risk of getting certain kinds of cancer