Bowel Screening
Is my screening due? Check that you are on the BowelScreen register with your PPS number and date of birth: Check the register → If you are eligible you can request a free home test kit.
BowelScreen is the HSE’s free bowel cancer screening programme. It uses a simple home test (a FIT test) that checks for tiny amounts of blood in your poo — an early sign of polyps or bowel cancer, often before there are any symptoms. Bowel cancer found early is very treatable. The test is done at home and posted back; nothing is done at the GP surgery. The information below is taken from the HSE.
Who is invited
- People aged 57 to 71 living in Ireland — the HSE is extending the age range over time
- Your first test is offered between 57 and 59, then every 2 years
- BowelScreen posts an invitation, then the test kit, to your registered address
- Not sure you are on the register, or moved house? Check the register, update your details, or call Freephone 1800 45 45 55
Outside the age range, have symptoms, or a family history? Screening is only for people who feel well. If you have any of the symptoms listed below, or a close family history of bowel cancer, see your GP — even if you recently had a normal screening result.
Doing the home test
The kit arrives in the post with instructions and a pre-paid return envelope. It takes a couple of minutes:
- Collect a sample by scraping the sampling stick on your poo until the end of the stick is covered
- Put the stick back in the tube and close it
- Seal the tube in the plastic bag
- Write the date you collected the sample on the outside of the bag
- Post it back in the pre-paid envelope — the same day or the next day
Only one sample is needed. If you have any difficulty using the kit, BowelScreen’s access officer can help on 1800 45 45 55 or access@bowelscreen.ie.
Your results
Results are posted to you within 4 weeks, with a copy to your GP.
| Result | What it means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | The amount of blood in your sample is below the screening limit — most people get this result | Another home test in 2 years |
| Not normal | Blood above the screening limit — it does not mean you have cancer, but it needs checking | You are offered a colonoscopy: a thin flexible tube with a camera looks inside the bowel for polyps, which can often be removed during the test |
No screening test is 100% reliable — not all polyps or cancers bleed all the time — so always report symptoms between tests.
Symptoms of bowel cancer — see your GP
- A change in your poo — softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
- Needing to go to the toilet more or less often than normal
- Blood in your poo, which may look red or black
- Bleeding from your back passage
- Pain or a lump in your tummy
- Bloating
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling very tired for no reason, or breathlessness
Having these symptoms does not always mean you have bowel cancer, but they should be checked. Call SouthDoc (0818 355 999) out of hours if your poo is black or dark red or you have bloody diarrhoea, and 112 or 999 if you are bleeding continuously, passing large clots, or have severe tummy pain.
HSE links
- Check you are on the register · Request a home test kit · Update your details
- HSE — Bowel screening · About BowelScreen · The home test · Your results · Colonoscopy after screening
- HSE — Bowel cancer symptoms
- BowelScreen Freephone 1800 45 45 55 · HSE Live 1800 700 700
Source: HSE / BowelScreen. See also: Cervical screening · Breast screening · Patient information
Worried about bowel symptoms or your family history? Don’t wait for a screening kit — book a GP appointment.
Book online Call +353 21 735 5499