Bowel Screening
Bowel screening can help find cancer before symptoms appear.
Bowel cancer screening aims to find signs of bowel cancer before symptoms develop. It can also detect bowel polyps, which can sometimes develop into cancer over time. Finding and removing polyps can help prevent bowel cancer, and finding cancer early means treatment is more likely to be successful.
Bowel Screening is for people:
- Aged 50 to 74
- Every 2 years
What is Bowel Screening?
Bowel screening uses a simple FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) kit that you complete at home. The test checks for tiny amounts of blood in your poo that you may not be able to see. Most people receive a normal result. Around 97–98 out of every 100 people who complete their kit don’t need any further tests.
What happens?
Your kit arrives
You’ll receive your free NHS bowel screening kit through the post.
Complete the test
Follow the simple instructions in the kit. The test only takes a few minutes to complete at home.
Send it back
Return your completed kit using the prepaid envelope provided.
Get your results
You’ll usually receive your results within around 2 weeks. If further tests are needed, you’ll be contacted and supported through the next steps.
“My pack arrived in the post, the instructions were clear and it was easy to use. My results came back quickly too.”
Chris
Top tips for taking the test
Completing your bowel screening kit is quick and simple, and it could help find bowel cancer before symptoms develop. These tips can help you complete your test at home.
Use a clean container to collect your sample.
Make sure your poo does not touch the toilet water. The NHS recommends using a clean container to catch your poo.
Only a small amount is needed.
Use the sample stick provided and gently scrape it along your poo until all the grooves on the end of the stick are covered. You only need a small amount for the test.
Check the date before you send it.
Make sure you’ve written the date you did the sample on the sample bottle, then put it in the envelope provided and seal it.
Post your sample as soon as you can.
The postage is free and you don’t need a stamp. Once you’ve completed your test, send it back as soon as possible.
Useful Links
Find out more about bowel screening, bowel cancer and the support available using these trusted resources.