This leaflet accompanies your screening test kit.  You can choose to download this leaflet or read it online.

 http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/2064.aspx

Updated documents can be found here:

BSL video (with subtitles)

Address:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u7mJiQwtck
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BSL animation (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyO-Hfr8lMM
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Chinese video (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNQMamSACoM
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Chinese animation (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVrzMczukpU
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English video (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cMQxCFpiag
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English animation (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGkp6f_S5gw
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Polish video (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah1ewctJaWs
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Polish animation (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j28E1erR2hU
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Punjabi video (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28UHI9T97jg
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Punjabi animation (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBjhERw8Yk
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Sylheti video (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TK0uK0Xyk0
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Sylheti animation (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQAa3ehUXI
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Urdu video (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv5ezftFtM0
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Urdu animation (with subtitles)

Address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ISBMDI7dC0
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Podcasts top

BSL podcasts:
Version: Animation in BSL with voice, no subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-bsl-voice-no_subs.mp4

Version: Animation in BSL with voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-bsl-voice-with_subs.mp4

Version: Video in BSL with voice, no subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-english-voice-bsl-no-subs.mp4

Version: Video in BSL with voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-english-voice-bsl-with_subs.mp4

English podcasts:
Version: Animation in English voice, no subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-english-voice-no_subs.mp4

Version: Animation in English voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-english-voice-with_subs.mp4

Version: Video in English voice, no subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-english-voice-no_subs.mp4

Version: Video in English voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-english-voice-with_subs.mp4

Chinese podcasts:
Version: Animation in Chinese voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-chinese-voice-with_subs.mp4

Version: Video in Chinese voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-chinese-voice-with_subs.mp4

Polish podcasts:
Version: Animation in Polish voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-polish-voice-with_subs.mp4

Version: Video in Polish voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-polish-voice-with_subs.mp4

Urdu podcasts:
Version: Animation in Urdu voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-urdu-voice-with_subs.mp4

Version: Video in Urdu voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-urdu-voice-with_subs.mp4

Sylheti podcasts:
Version: Animation in Sylheti voice, no subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-sylheti-voice-no_subs.mp4

Version: Video in Sylheti voice, no subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-sylheti-voice-no_subs.mp4

Punjabi podcasts:
Version: Animation in Punjabi voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-animation-punjabi-voice-with_subs.mp4

Version: Video in Punjabi voice and subtitles
http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/multimedia/bowel/bowel-video-punjabi-voice-with_subs.mp4

All publications are available for download in portable document format (.pdf). To read them, you will need a PDF Reader, such as the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe or eXPert PDF reader from Visagesoft. To download any of the documents below, right click on its title (or click and hold for Mac users) and select “save link target as” or “save link as”.

• CONTENTS
• Foreword
• Background
• Programme Specification
• Bowel Screening Centre
• NHS National Services
• NHS Boards
• Communications
• Protocols
• Quality Standards
• Contact Details
• Appendices

Sometimes a change in diet can be all that is needed (especially if you are constipated). Try some of the tips below for yourself.

• Take part in the screening programme every 2 years.
• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.
• Eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
• Eat lots of fibre, e.g. wholemeal bread, cereal, beans.
• Don’t eat too much red meat.
• Stop smoking.
• Gentle exercise can also help. It may surprise you to know that it can help to get your bowels moving properly.
• Don’t be embarrassed to go and see your doctor if you have any worries about your bowel habits.

If you want to get healthier, your doctor or practice nurse can help you with healthy eating plans and exercise programmes.

Helpful sites

A poor diet and inactivity can lead to health problems, but the Healthy Living Scotland site has healthy eating advice and physical activity tips which can get you on the way to a healthier lifestyle.

The website canstopsmoking.com has all the information you need to give up smoking. You can search for your local NHS stop smoking service through the postcode finder, use the webchat facility to speak to a trained stop smoking advisor online and take advantage of the userful hints and tips associated with giving up smoking.

Paths to Health offers information on health walks throughout Scotland. You can walk by yourself, with friends and family or you can join a health walking group.

For more healthy eating advice, the NHS in England has a website called 5 A Day which has lots of recipes and tips on how to make sure you get five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

The BBC has produced a guide on Fitness for over-50s which has some ideas about different types of exercise you can try.

Screening aims to find bowel cancer at an early stage in people with no symptoms. The screening test looks for hidden blood in the bowel motion, as this may suggest a higher chance of bowel cancer.

Other changes in the bowel can also be found, such as polyps (non-cancerous growths). If found, most polyps can be easily removed and often prevent future cancers developing.

If bowel cancer is detected early enough through screening, there is a 90% chance
of treating the disease successfully.

For approximatelyevery 650 people invited for regular screening, one bowel cancer death will be prevented. In Scotland this will mean the screening programme will prevent at least 150 deaths from bowel cancer each year.

Make sure your GP Practice knows your latest address so we can send you regular invitations for screening.

Important facts about screening

All men and women between the ages of 50 and 74 will be invited for bowel screening every two years.

About 10 out of 500 people taking the test will have blood in their bowel motion. When these 10 people have the recommended follow up tests, it is likely that one person will have cancer. Four people will have polyps (non cancerous growths). The other five will be clear. This is called a false-positive result, that is when the screening test shows blood, but the follow up shows no cancer or polyps.

For most people, a normal test result means, at that time, there is no bowel cancer. However, 100% accuracy cannot be guaranteed because not all cancers bleed all of the time, and the screening test is looking for blood. This means that sometimes a cancer will be missed.

Changes can also happen in between one screening test and the next, so it is important that you repeat the screening test every two years and never ignore symptoms.

Going to the toilet: what to look out for

• Repeated bleeding from your bottom or blood in your motions.
• A recent change in bowel habit that goes on day in day out for over 6 weeks without going back to normal.
• Looser motions or alternating with constipation (constipation alone is less likely to be serious).
• Pains in the tummy that are severe, continual and have started recently, especially after eating.
• You have recently lost weight without trying.
• You have been told that you are anaemic or look pale and feel tired much of the time.

These symptoms may be caused by a number of conditions including cancer but, if you have any of the above, make an appointment to see your doctor.

No screening test is 100% reliable and problems can arise between screening tests. You should always be on the look-out for possible changes in your bowel habits. If you notice symptoms in between screening tests, please go to your GP.

If your result comes back showing that blood has been found in the samples, you will be contacted by a health professional. The next stage of tests will then be explained to you. Colonoscopy is the most effective test for finding bowel cancer. This requires an out-patient appointment where the bowel is examined using a flexible tube with a camera.

If you want more information on colonoscopy, please contact the Bowel Screening Centre Helpline on 0800 0121 833.

Going to the toilet: what to look out for

• Repeated bleeding from your bottom or blood in your motions.
• A recent change in bowel habit that goes on day in day out for over 6 weeks without going back to normal.
• Looser motions or alternating with constipation (constipation alone is less likely to be serious).
• Pains in the tummy that are severe, continual and have started recently, especially after eating.
• You have recently lost weight without trying.
• You have been told that you are anaemic or look pale and feel tired much of the time.

These symptoms may be caused by a number of conditions including cancer but, if you have any of the above, make an appointment to see your doctor.

If you prefer, you can download a PDF version of this page. If you would like this leaflet in another language please click here

In your pack, you will find

• Cardboard sticks
• Freepost return envelope
• Yellow test kit

This test takes only 2 visits to the toilet. Then you just put the completed kit in the envelope and return it free of charge to the Bowel Screening Centre. Follow the instructions below but if you are unsure, please call the Bowel Screening Centre Helpline on 0800 0121 833 (textphone 18001 0800 0121 833). The trained staff are there to answer any questions you may have. Every call is dealt with in strict confidence.

Important: Once you have decided to start the kit it MUST be completed and posted it within 10 days of taking the first sample. You must complete BOTH samples.

Step 1. Before doing the test

• Remove the label with your name on it from the invitation letter and stick it on the test kit in the area shown.
• Get everything ready before going to the toilet.
• Have one of the sticks ready.
• Do not open the side of the kit marked DO NOT OPEN; leave it sealed.

Step 2. Getting ready

• Have a pen ready to write the date of each sample on the front of the kit.

Step 3. Doing the test

• Peel back the flap. When opened, you will see two small windows which you will fill with your samples.



Step 4. Collecting your samples

• It is important that the samples of your bowel motion have not been in the toilet water. Suggestions to catch your sample are: folded pieces of toilet paper, your hand in a small plastic bag or any clean disposable container.
• Use the stick to stab the bowel motion in 4 different places. Holding the kit down on a flat surface, spread the sample to fill the first window. Close the flap and fill in the date.
• Repeat the same procedure for the next bowel motion, using a new stick, and apply to the second window. Close the flap and fill in the date.

Step 5. When you are finished

• Please wrap the used sticks in toilet paper and dispose of them carefully. Please do not flush them down the toilet.
• Do not leave your kit in a warm place or in direct sunlight.
• Wash your hands afterwards.
• After collecting the second sample put the kit in the free return envelope and seal it.

Final checklist

• Have you put your name label on the test kit?
• Have you put samples on both windows?
• Have you dated both samples?
• Have you sealed the kit in the free return envelope?

If the answer is yes to all of these questions your kit is now ready to post, so do not delay. The envelope is designed to meet postal regulations and is safe to send in the post but, to protect postal workers, please make sure it is clean.

If you have any problems or questions about bowel screening , please contact the Bowel Screening Centre Helpline on 0800 01121 833 (textphone 18001 080022 44 88) or go to www. bowelscreening.scot.nhs.uk

To obtain these leaflets in other languages or formats please click here

Online versions:

• How do I take the screening test?
• How do I take a repeat test?

All publications are available for download in portable document format (.pdf). To read them, you will need a PDF Reader, such as the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe or eXPert PDF reader from Visagesoft. To download any of the documents above, right click on its title (or click and hold for Mac users) and select “save link target as” or “save link as”.

Publication details: Scottish Bowel Screening Programme, Step-by-step instructions, 2010.

In your pack, you will find:

• Cardboard sticks
• Freepost return envelope
• Red and white test kit

You might think that doing the test sounds a bit embarrassing and that’s OK. However, the test is done at home, in private and it only takes 3 visits to the toilet. Then you just put the completed kit in the envelope and return it free-of-charge to the Bowel Screening Centre.

Important: Once you have decided to start the kit it MUST be completed with samples from 3 bowel motions. You must complete ALL of the samples and post it within 10 days of taking the first sample.

Step 1. Before doing the test

• Remove the label with your name on it from the invitation letter and stick it on the test kit in the area shown.
• Get everything ready before going to the toilet.
• Have two of the sticks ready.
• Do not open the side of the kit marked DO NOT OPEN; leave it sealed.
• Do not open all 3 flaps at once. There are 3 sections in this kit for 3 separate bowel motions.

Step 2. Getting ready

• Have a pen ready to write the date of each sample on the front of the kit.

Step 3. Doing the test

• Peel back the first flap only.
• When opened, you will see 2 small windows which you will put your first samples on.

Step 4. Collecting your first samples

• It is important that the samples of your bowel motion have not been in the toilet water. Suggestions to catch your sample are: folded pieces of toilet paper, your hand in a small plastic bag or any clean disposable container.
• Use one of the sticks to take a small sample, about the size of a pea, of your bowel motion.
• Spread it to cover the first small window.
• Take another sample from a different part of your bowel motion and spread it over the second small window.
• Write the date on the front of the kit

Step 5. When you are finished

• Wrap the used sticks in toilet paper and dispose of them carefully. Please do not flush them down the toilet.
• Close the flap and tuck it under the red tab to keep it closed.
• Do not leave your kit in a warm place or in direct sunlight.
• Wash your hands afterwards.

Step 6. Collecting your second and third samples

• On other visits to the toilet repeat the test using the remaining 2 sections of the kit.
• The samples can be from any of your bowel motions within a 10-day period, just remember to date each sample.
• After collecting the third sample put the kit in the free retirm envelope and seal it.

Final checklist

• Have you put your name label on the test kit?
• Have you put samples on all 6 windows?
• Have you put 3 dates on your kit?
• Have you sealed the kit in the free return envelope?

If the answer is yes to these questions your kit is now ready to post, so do not delay. The envelope is designed to meet postal regulations and is safe to send in the post but, to protect postal workers, please make sure it is clean.

If you have any problems or questions about bowel screening, please contact the Bowel Screening Centre Helpline on 0800 0121 833 (textphone 18001 0800 0121 833) or go to www.bowelscreening.scot.nhs.uk.