Bowel Cancer Screening

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Bowel Cancer Screening

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust offers bowel cancer screening to all men and women aged 60 – 74 with the recent addition of screening for 56 year olds, every two years, which is part of a national programme.

People in this age group will automatically be sent an invitation through the post, then their screening “kit” so they can complete the test in the comfort of their own home. Your GP will provide your contact details and it is therefore very important that they are kept up to date with any changes.

The screening initiative aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage in people with no symptoms, when treatment is likely to be more effective.

The screening is initially via a home test via a FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) kit which looks for hidden blood in stools. This does not diagnose bowel cancer, but the results will give an indication as to whether the patient is in need of further examination, which is done by a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor uses a colonoscope or scope, to look inside your rectum and colon.

Bowel cancer screening can also detect polyps, which are abnormal growths that aren’t cancerous but may become do over time. They can be removed during a colonoscopy potentially preventing patients going on to develop cancer.

Appointments take place at Sandwell Hospital, Birmingham Treatment Centre and University Hospitals Birmingham – Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Team

Clinical Lead – Screening Director

Dr Nigel Trudgill

Deputy Screening Director

Dr Jason Goh

Consultant Colonoscopists

Dr Nigel Trudgill

Dr Imtiyaz Mohammed

Dr Imran Masood

Mr Misra Budhoo

Dr Jason Goh

Lead Specialist Screening Practitioner

Claire Beats

Specialist Screening Practitioners

Claire Beats

Richard Glennon

Angeline Johnson

Paula Harbutt

Anna Marie Twum-Barima

Liliana Castanheiro

Christopher Howes

Michelle Scott-Harris

Elizabeth Gee

Sharon Garner

Programme Manager

David Vernon

Programme Coordinator

Marion Butler

Administration Team Leader

John Rudge

Administrators

Mayur Patel

Elaine Noons

Sarah Jones

Services

Bowel Cancer Screening

We participate fully in a national screening programme. Tests are available every two years to all men and women aged 60 to 74. People who are over 74 can request a home-screening kit over the phone by calling 0800 707 60 60.

The checks begin with a simple test that can be carried out at home using a kit that is sent to individual patients. If the test reveals anything unusual then further tests can be carried out in hospital by a consultant or specialist nurse.

City and Sandwell hospitals have a team of specialists who hold clinics for patients whose home tests have shown positive. Patients are assessed for their suitability for a colonoscopy – a tiny video camera on a thin flexible tube which is inserted into the back passage under local anaesthetic. This allows the consultant or specialist nurse to see directly if there are any abnormal growths.

A colonoscopy clinic is run once a week at City Hospital, twice a week at Sandwell Hospital and once a week at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

Bowel Cancer Screening Clinics

City Hospital

Pre assessment clinics – Monday AM, Tuesday PM and Friday AM
Colonoscopy lists – Monday AM and Tuesday AM

Sandwell Hospital

Pre assessment clinics – Monday AM, Tuesday AM and Thursday AM
Colonoscopy lists – Wednesday AM, Wednesday PM and Thursday PM

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Pre assessment clinics – Wednesday AM and Thursday AM
Colonoscopy lists – Tuesday AM, Tuesday PM and alternate Saturdays AM and PM

Patient Stories

The Bowel Cancer Screening team with the inflatable walk-through bowel.

We have a walk through inflatable bowel! We take the opportunity to take this out to show and educate our community. It has been taken to shopping centres, CCG and community events.

Poem about bowel cancer screening raises awareness of life-saving test

A patient is hoping to raise awareness of bowel cancer screening – by writing a light-hearted poem about her experience.
Lynne Conroy, 63, of Tipton, penned the poetry after she underwent a colonoscopy at Sandwell Hospital, in West Bromwich.
She had taken the “poo in the post” test and after the results showed up some irregularities, the mum-of-three was called in for a further examination.
During the procedure two polyps were removed and she was given the all clear by doctors. But she was so impressed with her treatment, Lynne, who works as an office manager for domicillary and support care company JLKare and Support, decided to write about it.
“I love writing poems,” she explained. “So when I was asked to give some feedback about the treatment and care at the hospital, I thought I would do it in poetry form.
“It’s a light-hearted way of raising awareness of a very important test, which can ultimately be life-saving.
“I think that even if this encourages just one person to take the ‘poo in the post’ test, then I have done something good. All the tests that I underwent were quick and painless and there was nothing awkward about it.”
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, people over the age of 60 are invited to take part in bowel cancer screening every two years.
The national screening programme uses a home test called a Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), which looks for hidden blood in poo.
Lynne added: “Some of my friends have taken the postal test, so I was very aware of it when I received it in the post and I didn’t hesitate to do it. It’s a very straightforward and easy procedure that you just do at home.”
Clair Millard, Specialist Screening Practitioner for the Bowel Cancer Screening programme, said: “It’s the first time we have ever feedback in poetry form and we’re really impressed with how Lynne expressed herself.
“People can sometimes be reluctant to take the test but it can detect cancer at an early stage, which is when treatment has the best chance of working.
“We are grateful to Lynne for her poem and we intend to use it to promote our service further.”

My Colonoscopy

Do I need to mention the day before?
Drinking Klean Prep was such a chore!
To clean out my innards and make it clear,
for the camera to go – straight up my rear!

I chose to be awake so I could see it on telly,

In a foetal position on my side and belly.
Up went the camera – no chance to be shy.
“Just a couple of polyps,” thank God, I won’t die.

The crew were professional, the tube went in deep.
With gas and air on tap, I never made a peep.
There are no malignancies; all was fine.
Just two bits of diverticular in my intestine.

They made sure I was fine before I went home.
In the future they’ll do this procedure by Drone!
Dr Mohammad and his team all played their part,
So I’d like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart.