Bowel Screening Could Save A Life
Published: 7th May 2026
Our colleagues at Cancer Research UK have asked us to share the following information with community pharmacy teams in Scotland:
With the support of NHS Scotland and Public Health Scotland, Cancer Research UK is running a bowel cancer screening campaign in Scotland in Scotland from 7th April to 18th May 2026.
The campaign aims to increase awareness of bowel cancer screening and support informed participation among eligible adults.
For more information, please download the guide below:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Cancer Research UK, with support from NHS Scotland and Public Health Scotland, is running a bowel cancer screening awareness campaign in Scotland from 7 April to 18 May 2026. The aim is to increase awareness of bowel cancer screening and help eligible adults make an informed choice about taking part.
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Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Scotland, with around 4,200 new cases each year. Screening can help detect bowel cancer early, often before symptoms develop, when treatment is more effective. It can also identify pre-cancerous changes before cancer develops.
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People aged 50 to 74 are routinely invited to take part in bowel cancer screening every two years. People aged 75 and over can request screening by contacting the NHS helpline.
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Community pharmacies are highly accessible healthcare settings and can play an important role in raising awareness, answering questions, and directing people to trusted information and support.
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Pharmacy teams can help by:
Talking to patients about screening
Explaining that screening is for people without symptoms
Encouraging anyone with symptoms to contact their GP practice
Sharing reliable information and campaign resources
Signposting patients to support services or replacement test kits
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No. Screening is designed for people without symptoms to detect possible issues early. Anyone experiencing symptoms should speak to their GP practice, even if they have recently completed a screening test.
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Common barriers include:
Not having symptoms
Fear of what the test may find
Being unsure how to complete the test
Finding the test messy
Forgetting to do it
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Yes. Uptake is lower among people living in more deprived areas, men, younger eligible adults, some non-White communities, and people with learning disabilities.
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Patients can:
Call the free NHS bowel screening helpline on 0800 0121 833
Visit NHS Inform for bowel screening guidance and translated/easy-read materials
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When invited, don’t ignore it, bowel cancer screening could save your life.
Community Pharmacy Scotland is keen to showcase examples of how pharmacy teams are helping to reduce medicines waste across Scotland as part of work we involved in nationally.