Bowel cancer screening programme supporting information
Updated 12 March 2021
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-programme-standards/our-approach-to-bowel-cancer-screening-standards
Introduction
These revised screening standards for the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) replace previous versions. They apply to data collected from 1 April 2018 unless stated otherwise in the document.
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommends that all eligible people aged 60 to 74 are invited to take part in bowel cancer screening every 2 years.
Screening aims to:
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detect at the earliest opportunity bowel cancers and polyps that could go on to become cancers
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maximise the success of treatment
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reduce mortality from bowel cancer
NHS BCSP has responsibility for implementing this policy. The service specifications (No. 26 and 26a) are available for NHS providers as part of the public health functions exercised by NHS England (NHSE).
We aim to make sure there is equal access to uniform and quality-assured screening across England and that participants are provided with high-quality information so they can make an informed choice about bowel cancer screening.
Screening guidance documents may link to a central glossary of terms, NHS population screening explained and NHS UK for definitions of terms. To see the meaning of an acronym, hover over it with your cursor to see the full definition.
Summary of changes from previous version of standards
Previous NHS BCSP measurable standards were documented in the programme guidance. Programme guidance continues to be provided and will cover the screening standards as featured in the section 7a service specification.
BCSP-S02 (uptake)
Minor updates to wording.
BCSP-S03 (test: faecal occult blood test (FOBT) kit turnaround time)
New standard.
BCSP-S04 (test: bowel scope screening adenoma detection rate)
New standard as bowel scope screening is a new component of the programme.
BCSP-S05 (diagnosis or intervention: computed tomography colonography (CTC) as a diagnostic procedure)
New standard to make sure that CTC is used as a diagnostic test only when appropriate and for a small proportion of patients.
BCSP-S06 (referral: SSP clinic appointment waiting time)
Previous minimum standard was 100%. The acceptable threshold is revised to greater than or equal to 95.0% and achievable to greater than or equal to 98.0% to reflect screening centre performance against this standard and provide some flexibility to meet fluctuations in demand.
BCSP-S07 (referral: diagnostic procedure waiting time)
Previous minimum standard was 100%. The acceptable threshold is revised to greater than or equal to 90.0% and achievable to greater than or equal to 95.0% to reflect screening centre performance against this standard and provide some flexibility to meet fluctuations in demand.
BCSP-S08 (diagnosis or intervention: time to attendance at diagnostic procedure)
New standard.
BCSP-S09 (referral: pathology turnaround time)
Previous minimum standard was 100%. The acceptable threshold is revised to greater than or equal to 90.0% and achievable to greater than or equal to 95.0% to reflect a more realistic standard and provide laboratories with some flexibility to meet fluctuations in demand.
BCSP-S10 (population: programme hub helpline answer rate)
New standard.
BCSP-S11 (diagnosis or intervention: diagnostic procedure uptake rate)
Standard updated to include all diagnostic procedures, not just colonoscopy.
BCSP-S13 (intervention or treatment: caecal intubation rate)
Previous minimum standard was 90.0%. The acceptable threshold is revised to greater than or equal to 92.0% and achievable to greater than or equal to 97.0% to reflect screening centre performance against this standard.
Pathway themes
NHS BCSP screening standards look at the following 7 themes to assess the pathway and 2 key performance indicators (KPIs) are derived from standards BCSP-S01 and BCSP-S02.
Theme: population
The related standard is BCSP-S10: population: programme hub helpline answer rate.
Theme: coverage
The related standard is BCSP-S01: coverage.
Theme: uptake
The related standard is BCSP-S02: uptake.
Theme: test
The related standards are:
BCSP-S03: test: FOBT kit turnaround time
BCSP-S04: test: bowel scope screening adenoma detection rate
Theme: referral
The related standards are:
BCSP-S06: referral: SSP clinic appointment waiting time
BCSP-S07: referral: diagnostic procedure waiting time
BCSP-S09: referral: pathology turnaround
Theme: diagnosis or intervention
The related standards are:
BCSP-S05: diagnosis or intervention: computed tomography colonography (CTC) as a diagnostic procedure
BCSP-S08: diagnosis or intervention: time to attendance at diagnostic procedure
BCSP-S11: diagnosis or intervention: diagnostic procedure uptake rate
Theme: intervention or treatment
Related standards are:
BCSP-S12: intervention or treatment: adenoma detection rate (FOBT)
BCSP-S13: intervention or treatment: caecal intubation rate
BCSP-S14: intervention or treatment: scope withdrawal time
BCSP-S15: intervention or treatment: polyp retrieval rate
Resources to support providers and commissioners
Additional BCSP operational guidance is included in the:
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programme service specifications (available to NHS providers from NHS England)
Reporting and publishing
Quarterly KPI data are published. We share the data with NHS England before publication.