Bowel Cancer Screening: Your help needed

Over the past 2 years, people across Wandsworth, aged between 60 – 70, have been invited to take part in a national bowel cancer screening programme. Not everyone who has been offered this test has taken up the opportunity to be screened.  We need to find out why, so that we can encourage people in Wandsworth to take up this offer of early screening. Early screening not only saves lives but can prevent people from needing treatment and reduce anxiety.

We need your help! We are running some focus groups in 28^th and 29^th September 2010 to ask people why they chose to take up the screening and, if they chose not to, why not. If you have not participated in a focus group before these are very informal events, where we bring together a small number of people so we can ask them questions and they can share their views on the issues being discussed.

If you have been sent a screening kit, and/or are aged between 60 – 70 years and live in Wandsworth will you take part?  If you are interested in helping out with this please let me know by contacting the Patient and Public involvement team on 020 8812 7577 or emailing us at ppi@wpct.nhs.uk.

• Focus Group 1 (Tuesday 28^th September, 10:30am for 1 hour at Stormont Health Centre, Battersea): This group will be for individuals who have completed the bowel screening kit.
• Focus Group 2 (Wednesday 29^th September, 10:30am for 1 hour at Stormont Health Centre, Battersea): This group will be for individuals who have not completed the bowel screening kit.

Tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits will be provided, and travel costs up to £5 will be reimbursed.

If you are unable to attend a focus group but would like to tell us your views on the bowel cancer screening programme, please do not hesitate to contact me and we can send you a questionnaire or have a chat to find out more.
You can also contact the screening programme direct by contacting Dee Lychnos on 020 8812 7526.

Colin Smith

Patient and Public Involvement Manager

NHS Wandsworth

3rd Floor

Wimbledon Bridge House

Hartfield Road

London SW19 3RU

0208 812 7743

07775020253 (PPI Line)