This dataset presents the uptake rate of bowel cancer screening among eligible individuals aged 60 to 75 in England. It measures the percentage of those who, after receiving an invitation to participate in the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP), responded and were adequately screened within six months. The data is sourced from NHS England and provides insight into screening engagement at the general practice level.
Rationale
Bowel cancer screening is a critical public health intervention aimed at early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer. Increasing the percentage of eligible individuals who complete screening can lead to earlier diagnoses, improved outcomes, and reduced mortality. This indicator supports efforts to monitor and enhance participation in cancer screening programmes, aligning with broader goals to improve cancer detection rates across the population.
Numerator
The numerator is defined as the number of persons registered to a general practice, aged 60 to 75, who were invited for bowel cancer screening in the previous 12 months and were adequately screened following an initial response within six months of the invitation.
Denominator
The denominator includes the total number of persons aged 60 to 74 who were invited for bowel cancer screening in the previous 12 months.
Caveats
This indicator may be based on a small number of patients for some practices, which can affect reliability. Additionally, data may be less reliable during periods of GP practice mergers or boundary changes. For data up to 2021/22, only practices with a list size of at least 1,000 were included.
External References
More information can be found on the Fingertips Public Health Profiles website.
Localities Explained
This dataset contains data based on either the resident locality or registered locality of the patient, a distinction is made between resident locality and registered locality populations:
- Resident Locality refers to individuals who live within the defined geographic boundaries of the locality. These boundaries are aligned with official administrative areas such as wards and Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs).
- Registered Locality refers to individuals who are registered with GP practices that are assigned to a locality based on the Primary Care Network (PCN) they belong to. These assignments are approximate—PCNs are mapped to a locality based on the location of most of their GP surgeries. As a result, locality-registered patients may live outside the locality, sometimes even in different towns or cities.
This distinction is important because some health indicators are only available at GP practice level, without information on where patients actually reside. In such cases, data is attributed to the locality based on GP registration, not residential address.
Click here to explore more from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnerships Outcome Framework.