New bowel screening campaign
Life-saving campaign launches in London: “your next poo could save your life”.
The NHS is running a lifesaving campaign across London this summer, to encourage more people to do their free NHS bowel cancer screening test - which can be done at home - and checks if you could have bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers and affects 43,000 people in the UK each year. Those who complete bowel cancer screening are 25% less likely to die of bowel cancer. The campaign, “Your next poo could save your life,” which is supported by the South East London Cancer Alliance, urges people aged 60 to 74 who have been sent a free bowel cancer screening kit to their home address, to use it.
This is particularly important in areas of south east London because the rate of people returning their kits here is lower than other parts of London.
The campaign aims to increase uptake of bowel cancer screening across London and is particularly focusing on groups who are less likely to do the test:
- Males
- People sent the bowel cancer screening kit for the first time
- People in deprived areas
- People from some ethnic and faith communities
- People with a learning disability
To get the message out, the campaign will feature across London buses, roadside advertising, social media and radio.
You can support the campaign by:
- Displaying the digital ads, animation, and case studies on your waiting room screens
- Sharing the attached copy about the home test kits with colleagues and on your practice website
- Ensuring your colleagues across south east London are aware of the campaign and know where to find information about it (at www.healthylondon.org/BCS)
Community engagement groups across Southwark and Lambeth will also be supporting ethnic minority populations, who are recorded to have the lowest bowel cancer screening uptake across London.
For more information about the campaign and to access videos, case studies and campaign resources, please visit: healthylondon.org/BCS.