Question reference: S5W-20123
- Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 22 November 2018
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Current status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 5 December 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve take-up of the bowel cancer home testing kit in Fife.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to working with all NHS boards to increase the early detection of cancer.
A number of initiatives are underway to help improve early detection rates of bowel cancer, including:
(a) A new bowel screening test - FIT - was introduced to the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme in November 2017 which those eligible for screening in NHS Fife will now be receiving and benefiting from. The easier single-sample test is believed to be helping boost participation in bowel screening, which remains the most effective way to find bowel cancer early.
(b) Public awareness of early signs and symptoms is key to driving early stage diagnoses and ultimately improving cancer outcomes for people in NHS Fife. A new Detect Cancer Early campaign was launched in September this year to reduce fear around cancer and empower people to act early