Butler announces major expansion of bowel cancer screening programme
Date published:
Thousands more people in Northern Ireland will be invited for potentially life-saving bowel cancer screening after Health Minister Robbie Butler announced a major expansion of the regional screening programme.
From 2 November 2026, the Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme will begin extending invitations to people aged 59, with 58-year-olds joining the programme from April 2027. The phased rollout will continue until everyone aged 50 to 74 is eligible by 2031.
The expansion is designed to detect bowel cancer earlier, improving treatment outcomes and helping to save lives.
Robbie Butler said: "I am delighted to announce this significant expansion of the Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.
“Extending screening to people aged 50 to 59 will help identify more cancers at an earlier stage, when treatment is most effective.
“This investment will not only improve outcomes for patients but is also expected to deliver annual health service savings of between £1.7 million and £2 million once fully implemented.
“I want to thank Health and Social Care staff and officials across Northern Ireland who have worked tirelessly to put the infrastructure and arrangements in place to make this expansion possible.
“Most importantly, I would strongly encourage everyone who receives a screening kit to take part. Bowel cancer screening saves lives."
Professor Lourda Geoghegan, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said: "This is a landmark step for bowel cancer screening in Northern Ireland.
“Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers we face, with more than 1,300 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year.
“Screening is one of the most effective ways to detect the disease early, when treatment has the best chance of success. It can also identify changes in the bowel before cancer develops."
“Once fully implemented, the programme will invite an additional 135,000 people every year, increasing participation by around 80% compared with current screening levels.
“A phased rollout will ensure screening, diagnostic and treatment services can manage the increased demand while maintaining high standards of care.”
Anyone who experiences symptoms should not wait for a screening invitation and should contact their GP. Screening is intended for people without symptoms, and different tests are used to investigate those who have signs of bowel cancer.
Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: "We're delighted that the Department of Health in Northern Ireland has funded the phased extension of bowel cancer screening to people aged 50–74. This is a significant step towards improving bowel cancer survival in Northern Ireland. It will give thousands more people the opportunity to take part in screening, helping to find more cancers earlier when the disease is easier to treat and the chances of survival are higher. We look forward to seeing the programme being rolled out as quickly and safely as possible."
Notes to editors:
1. Symptoms of bowel cancer may include:
- changes in poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual
- needing to poo more or less often than usual
- blood in poo, which may look red or black
- bleeding from the bottom
- often feeling like the need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
- tummy (abdominal) pain
- a lump in the tummy (abdomen)
- bloating
- losing weight without trying
- feeling very tired, for example because of a lower-than-normal level of red blood cells (anaemia).
2. Link to Bowel Cancer charities - Cancer Research UK - https://www.cancerresearchuk.org and Bowel Cancer UK –https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk
3. All bowel screening samples are processed and examined at a Laboratory based in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.
4. This expansion has only been possible due to the work of the Public Health Agency (PHA), Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG), Business Services Organisation (BSO) and the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT).
5. The UK National Screening Committee has recommended that bowel cancer screening should be offered to individuals aged 50 to 74 years of age, every two years, using a faecal immunochemical test (FIT).
Currently in Northern Ireland, bowel cancer screening is offered to individuals aged between 60 and 74 years old, every two years, using FIT.
Data collected from this important extension in the screening programme will also be used to inform future reductions to the threshold for the screening test (this is known as the screening FIT threshold). At present, the Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme uses a FIT threshold of 120 micrograms of blood per gram of faeces. By lowering the screening test threshold, the screening programme will in the future have the potential to detect even more abnormal growths that can develop into cancer and also to detect more cancers.
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