Bowel Cancer Screening

What we do

King's Bowel Cancer Screening Centre is part of the national cancer screening programme. We see people from Lambeth and Southwark for routine bowel cancer screening, in order to find cancer earlier, before symptoms appear, when it is easier to treat. We can also detect and remove pre-cancerous cells.

NHS Choices has more information on screening. If you are concerned you have symptoms that may be a sign of cancer, contact your GP.

Bowel Cancer Screening

People who are registered with a Lambeth or Southwark GP and are aged 60-74 are posted a screening kit every two years. If you are 75 or over, you can request a screening kit by phoning 0800 707 6060. If your test shows an abnormality, you will be invited to an appointment at King's with a Specialist Screening Practitioner, who will give you advice and refer you for a colonoscopy, if suitable.

Locations:

• Specialist Screening Practitioner appointments: Suite 3, Venetian building, King's College Hospital campus, Caldecot Road.
• Colonoscopy appointments: Lower Ground Floor, Cheyne Wing, King's College Hospital

Bowel Scope Screening
People aged 55 and over, and registered with a Southwark or Lambeth GP surgery that is part of the Bowel Scope Screening programme, will be invited for a flexible sigmoidoscopy. You may experience some abdominal discomfort during the procedure. It takes 6 -10 minutes to screen the lower bowel, where most bowel cancers occur. To check if your surgery is part of the programme, ask your surgery or phone 0800 707 6060.

Locations:

• Bowel Scope appointments: Lower Ground Floor, Cheyne Wing, King's College Hospital

Location

For further information please contact the Main Reception.

Contact Details

• Main Reception: +44 (0)20 3299 7601
• King's Bowel Cancer Screening Centre email: kch-tr.BCS@nhs.net
• National bowel screening hub: +44 (0)800 707 6060

Conditions we treat

We are a screening centre for the national bowel cancer screening programme, seeing patients who live in Lambeth and Southwark. We are part of two national screening programmes:

• All Southwark and Lambeth GPs can signpost patients who are 60 or over to the FOBt bowel screening test.

• We are also rolling out Bowel Scope Screening to people who are 55 and over, and registered with a Southwark or Lambeth GP surgery that has gone live with the programme. To discuss whether your surgery have gone live, contact us on 020 3299 7601 / kch-tr.BCS@nhs.net.

Booking a patient at King's

Routine Referrals

Patients cannot be referred; instead, eligible patients who would like to be screened can be advised to:

• Patients aged 60 or over: call the national screening hub on 0800 707 6060.
• Patients aged 55 or over (only open to surgeries that have gone live with Bowel Scope Screening): call the national screening hub on 0800 707 6060, or the King's Bowel Cancer Screening Centre on 020 3299 7601.

Emergency Referrals

Not applicable.

Other Queries

Tel: 020 3299 7601
Email: kch-tr.BCS@nhs.net

Key Clinical Staff