Bowel Cancer Screening: Early Detection Could Save Your Life
Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the UK, following lung cancer, and the fourth most common cancer overall. With 16,500 deaths each year, raising awareness and increasing screening uptake is critical—especially in areas with low participation rates.
Why Screening Matters
Early detection saves lives.
When bowel cancer is caught at Stage 1, 91% of men survive five years or more. At Stage 4, survival drops drastically to just 10%. This highlights how vital it is to detect the disease early – often before any symptoms appear.
Who Is Eligible?
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme invites people aged 50 to 74, who are registered with a GP in England, for free screening every two years.
How It Works: The Process
- You’ll receive a one-off invitation letter when you turn 50 from the National Screening Hub.
- A FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) kit is sent to your home.
- You collect a small sample of your poo and return it in a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope.
- You’ll receive your results within 2 weeks.
- If no further tests are needed, another kit will be sent in 2 years.
- If further investigation is required, you’ll be invited to see a Specialist Screening Practitioner Nurse and offered a colonoscopy (currently at Aintree, Royal Liverpool, or St Helens hospitals).
Need help or information in another language? Call the BCSP Hub at 0800 707 60 60.
Aston Healthcare is working in partnership with the NHS Liverpool Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to hold the Bowel Screening Call for a Kit Clinic.
A Call For A Kit Clinic (CFAKC) is a specialised session at a GP surgery for people who haven’t completed their Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) test. These individuals are invited to meet the CFAK team, who help them understand and complete the screening.
For more information call 0151 706 3823 or email BowelScreeningCallForAKit@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.
Alternatively, you can find the find the Call For A Kit team on Facebook:
We would like to inform you that your patient data will be accessed within the clinic appointment that you will have with a staff member from the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) Call For a Kit Team.
If you would like to decline taking part in the project or discuss this further, please see the receptionists. Declining to take part in the Bowel Screening clinic will not affect your future treatment here or within the NHS.
Data Protection
The NHS takes protecting your data very seriously always following the strict NHS information Governance Policy. Patient data collected through the clinic appointment will be held confidentially and protected within the NHS and will not be shared with anyone outside of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.