Regular bowel cancer screening has been shown to reduce deaths from bowel cancer.
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (NHS BCSP) invites men and women in their sixties to be screened for bowel cancer every two years.
Participants are sent a Faecal Occult Blood test (FOBt) kit which they complete at home and send to a laboratory for testing. Anyone with a positive result is referred for a colonoscopy and any necessary treatment. People aged 70 and over can request a kit by ringing 0800 707 60 60.
Reluctant to take the test?
Watch this Dr Chris Steele video on why you should.
Bowel Cancer Screening:The Facts Leaflet