Introduction

Bowel cancer screening supports early detection of cancer and polyps which are not cancers but may develop into cancers overtime. About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime. This indicator provides an opportunity to incentivise screening promotion and other local initiatives to increase coverage of bowel cancer screening.

Improvements in coverage would mean more bowel cancers are detected at earlier, more treatable stages, and more polyps are detected and removed, reducing the risk of bowel cancer developing [1].

Bowel cancer screening is offered to everyone aged 54 to 74 every 2 years. It will soon be available for everyone aged 50 to 74 years old.

Data Overview

The indicator below measures the the number of eligible men and women aged 60 to 74 who had an adequate faecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening result in the previous 30 months divided by the total number of eligible people.

Bowel cancer screening coverage is on an upward trend, with Oldham's rate increasing by 38% between 2013/14 and 2022/23. This is larger than the rises seen regionally (+29%) and nationally (+29%). Oldham's latest rate of 69.3% is similar to the North West rate of 70.3% and slightly lower than the England rate of 72%. Oldham's rate lagged behind the regional and national rates until 2016/17 and since has followed a similar trend. There are considerable variations in rate across Greater Manchester and between GP practices in Oldham. Oldham ranks 5th highest across Greater Manchester and the variation in screening coverage between practices is presented in figure 3 below. Saddleworth Medical Practice has the highest rate across Oldham at 79%. This far exceeds the England rate. Oldham's lowest performing practice is Werneth Medical Practice with a rate of 43%.

Figure 1: Bowel cancer screening coverage: aged 60 to 74 years, trend
Source: NHS England, Bowel Cancer Screening Programme

Figure 2: Bowel cancer screening coverage: aged 60 to 74, across Greater Manchester
Source: NHS England, Bowel Cancer Screening Programme

Figure 3: Bowel cancer screening coverage: aged 60 to 74, across GP practice
Source: NHS England, Bowel Cancer Screening Programme

Further Information & Resources

NHS Bowel Screening Information
Information and advice relating to bowel screening

Bowel Cancer UK
The UK's leading bowel cancer charity

NHS England Bowel Screening Leaflet
Promotional material helping patients decide on their decision for bowel screening

References

[1] OHID Cancer Services data profiles, https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/cancerservices, accessed November 2024.




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