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Introduction

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Taking part in NHS bowel cancer screening

Bowel cancer screening can help find any signs of bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is a very serious disease that you can die from. Finding it early means you have a better chance of living.

We post a home test kit to people aged 50 to 74 years old every 2 years.

If you are 75 or over, you can still take part. You need to call the bowel cancer screening helpline to ask for a home test kit.

You can contact the bowel cancer screening helpline in the following ways.

To call the helpline:

• use a textphone or the Relay UK app
• dial 18001 then 0800 707 6060

Both Relay UK and the screening helpline are free, so you won’t be charged.

Bowel cancer is cancer found anywhere in the large bowel. This is part of your digestive system. It takes nutrients and water from food and turns what’s left into poo.

The test will find signs of most bowel cancers, but some can be missed. No test is 100% reliable.

It is your choice whether you take part or not.

To do the screening test, you need to collect a small amount of your poo using the kit. The kit includes prepaid packaging and full instructions on how to use it.

You can find out more about how to use the kit by visiting the bowel cancer screening webpage.

Visit the bowel cancer screening webpage at

Use a clean disposable container to collect your sample. Then put the sample in the tube provided and send in the post for testing at a lab.

You should get your results within 2 weeks of sending your sample. There are 2 possible results:

• No further tests needed at this time, or
• Further tests needed.

Around 97 to 98 out of every 100 people taking part in screening do not need further tests. They will be offered screening again in 2 years if they are still under 75.

Around 2 to 3 out of every 100 people need further tests. If you need further tests, we will offer you an appointment to discuss these.

You are less likely to get bowel cancer if your bowel is healthy. You can help this by eating healthily, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. Drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking are both bad for your bowel.

If you have any unusual symptoms, please tell your GP as soon as possible.

These can include:

• changes in your poo, such as softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation, if these are not usual for you 
• needing to poo more or less often than usual
• blood in your poo, which may look red or black
• bleeding from your bottom
• often feeling like you need to poo, even if you have just been to the toilet 
• pain or a lump in your abdomen (tummy)
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• losing weight without trying
• feeling very tired – this can be because of a lower level of red blood cells than normal (anaemia).

If you have any of these symptoms for 3 weeks or more, tell your GP. They do not necessarily mean you have bowel cancer. But it’s important to get them checked, even if you have been screened recently.

You can find out more about NHS bowel cancer screening using the following details.

• Visit
• Call the helpline by dialling 18001 then 0800 707 6060 from your textphone or the Relay UK app
• Visit

If you have any questions about bowel cancer screening, you can speak to your GP or call the free bowel cancer screening helpline for advice.