3,000 toilet rolls and info packs sent to Northampton food banks to boost bowel screening uptake
Kettering and Northamptonshire Bowel Screening Centre has begun distributing 3,000 toilet rolls with information leaflets to seven Northampton food banks in an NHS-funded drive to raise bowel cancer screening uptake, a centre spokesperson said.
Volunteers will hand out packs to people aged over 45 until the end of April, the spokesperson added, with the aim of increasing returns of home screening kits posted every two years to GP-registered residents aged 50 and above. Uptake in the areas served by the participating food banks ranges from about 37 to 55 percent, the spokesperson said, significantly below national targets.
Professor Andrew Chilton, screening consultant endoscopist, warned that lower-income families are less likely to complete screening. “Research shows that people from lower income families are less likely to complete and return their screening test, meaning bowel cancer may go undetected,” he said. “By raising awareness and dispelling myths about the screening process, we will potentially save lives. Our advice is to complete and return the screening test when you receive it. Do not wait till it’s too late.”
The three-month initiative is supported by Bowel Cancer UK’s #getitonaroll campaign and Morrisons, which delivered the toilet rolls free of charge. Funding for the rolls was secured through NHS England. Morrisons’ Group Online Director Charlotte Exell said. “We are proud to have supported the Kettering and Northamptonshire Bowel Cancer Screening Centre,” she said, noting more than 100 bespoke deliveries to food banks and charities across Northampton since February.
John Sherriff, Chief Operations Officer for the Hope Centre, welcomed the partnership. “Our volunteers build trusted relationships with our customers over time, which means they are well placed to start conversations about the importance of bowel cancer screening,” he said.
Food bank volunteers have also completed Cancer Champion training via Northamptonshire’s General Practice Alliance, Helen Macmillan, Personalised Care Lead, confirmed, with funding from the East Midlands Cancer Alliance for over 100 trainees.
Early detection sharply improves survival — 90–95 percent five-year survival at stage 1, the spokesperson noted. People are urged to see their GP if any of these persist for more than three weeks: blood in poo; changes in bowel habits; persistent abdominal pain; unexplained weight loss; fatigue; or a feeling of incomplete bowel emptying.
Editor’s note: This article has been amended. It originally stated that Morrisons donated the toilet rolls. This was incorrect, Morrisons delivered the rolls free of charge. Funding was secured through NHS England.