Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 20 December 2024.
Claire Hanna
Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South and Mid Down
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the current age range for bowel cancer screening.
Andrew Gwynne
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care
Based on advice from the UK National Screening Committee, NHS England committed in the Long Term Plan to extend the age range of people eligible for bowel screening using the FIT home testing kit from age 60 down to age 50.
The age extension for bowel screening is already underway. NHS England started in April 2021 with the 56-year-old cohort and, based on modelling and clinical advice, has planned to gradually reduce to age 50 by 2025. This has been done to ensure that screening centres could manage any required increase in colonoscopy capacity.
Yes3 people think so
No2 people think not
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