• Bolton’s Bowel Cancer Screening Programme celebrates 18 years of supporting diagnosis
• Since February 2007 more than one million people have been invited to take part in screening
• New video launched to inform patients about what to expect during colonoscopy

Bolton’s Bowel Cancer Screening Programme has celebrated 18 years of screening people in Bolton, Salford and Wigan to help detect bowel cancer as early as possible.

The programme launched on 12 February 2007 and since then has invited more than one million people to take part in screening.

The aim is to detect bowel cancer at early stages in patients with no symptoms and prevent the disease by identifying and removing small growths on the bowel wall called polyps to reduce the risk of them developing into bowel cancer.

Figures also reveal more than 15,000 diagnostic colonoscopies have been conducted and nearly one thousand people have been diagnosed with bowel cancer, whilst many more have been found to have polyps.

Sister Tracey Lawton, Lead Specialist Screening Practitioner at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:

The programme began in 2007 with one consultant, two Specialist Screening Practitioners (SSPs) and one administrator. Fast forward to 2025 and we have grown to a team of 29, offering screening and Lynch Syndrome surveillance to the population of Bolton Wigan and Salford.

“I am proud to say I was one of those SSPs, and I have been part of that journey ever since. It really is a team effort, and the Bolton Bowel Cancer Screening Programme relies on support from many other departments here at Bolton as well as other local trusts to deliver the high standard of patient care that we are very proud of.

“Our very first patient in clinic back in 2007 was diagnosed with bowel cancer and went on to recover well. Being part of their cancer journey was a privilege and the service has gone on to support hundreds of patients diagnosed with cancer over the past 18 years and saved thousands of lives by removing polyps that could have developed into cancer.

Eligible people are sent a test kit through the post to their home address. The kit, called a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), requires one sample of poo and looks for blood which can be an early indication of bowel cancer. Many other bowel conditions can cause blood so further tests are offered to look for possible causes.

Approximately 98% of people will receive a normal result from the test kit. 2% will receive an abnormal result and can be offered colonoscopy at either Bolton, Leigh or Salford hospitals.

The programme recently expanded screening invites to patients from their 50th birthday. Patients will now receive the test kit every two years from 50 to 74 years, with those older being able to request a kit by phoning the Bowel Screening Helpline on 0800 707 6060 or emailing bowelscreening@nhs.net.

To support and inform patients, a video has been created by Bolton NHS Foundation Trust so patients who require a colonoscopy can learn about a typical journey through the Endoscopy Unit and what to expect on the day.

The video launched on Wednesday 12 February, which coincided with the 18th birthday of the programme.

Nova Martin, Cancer Screening Improvement Lead for the Programme at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:

We know that attending a hospital you’ve never been to or having a procedure you’ve never had before can be very scary so we chose to create a video that showed how our Endoscopy Unit will look on the day and what types of people you may encounter.

“Using feedback from patients and pitching clinical information at the right level, we tried to answer common questions and concerns. We hope that a friendly voice and a smiling face will make the decision to attend for colonoscopy an easier one and encourage more of our patients to feel comfortable and at ease.

“Our intention is to create more versions in different languages and formats to suit the needs of our patients.

Further information about the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme can be found on the NHS website, or people can contact the Bowel Screening Helpline on 0800 707 6060 with any queries.

If you experience any symptoms that you are concerned about or are unusual for you, please contact your GP. Details of the most common symptoms can be found on the Bowel Cancer UK website.