NHS Screening

What is Screening?

Screening is a way of identifying apparently healthy people who may have an increased risk of a particular condition, so that early treatment can be offered or information given to them to make informed decisions.

The NHS offers a range of screening tests to different sections of the population.

The aim is to offer screening to the people who are most likely to benefit from it.

For more information, please visit NHS: Screening.

Bowel Cancer Screening

Bowel cancer screening is a test you do at home that checks for signs of bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer screening uses a test called a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) to look for blood in a sample of your poo, which could be a sign of bowel cancer.

You collect the sample at home and send it by post to be tested.

It can help to find cancer early, and before you have any symptoms, which may mean it is easier to treat.

If you are aged 50 to 74 and registered with a GP, you will automatically get a bowel cancer screening home test kit through the post every two years.

If you are aged 75 or over, you can ask for a home test kit by calling the bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 6060.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening

AAA screening is a way of checking if there is a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel that runs from your heart down through your tummy.
It can be serious if it is not spotted early on because it could get bigger and eventually burst.

Screening for AAA is offered to men over 65 years old as they are most at risk and will receive a screening invitation in the post.

For more information, please visit NHS: Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.

Targeted Lung Cancer Screening

If you are aged between 55 and 74 and have ever smoked, you may be offered an NHS lung cancer health check.

Lung cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer in the UK. Targeted lung cancer screening aims to find lung cancer early, sometimes before you have symptoms.

Lung cancer screening looks at how well your lungs are working and helps diagnose lung cancer as early as possible. Early diagnosis can make lung cancer more treatable and make treatment more successful.

If you are eligible, you will get a letter or phone call from your GP or a local NHS service inviting you to an appointment.

You may be invited if all of the following apply to you:

  • You are aged between 55 and 74.
  • You are registered with a GP surgery.
  • You are a current or former smoker.

During the lung health check a professional will ask you about your health and lifestyle to find out more about your risk of lung cancer.

You may be referred to your GP if breathing or lung health problems are detected.

If it is found that you are at higher risk of developing lung cancer, you may be invited for a CT scan to take a detailed picture of your lungs.

For further information, please visit:

Screening in Pregnancy

You will be offered screening tests during pregnancy to try to find any health conditions that could affect you or your baby.

The tests can help you make choices about further tests and care or treatment during your pregnancy or after your baby is born.

The screening tests offered during pregnancy are either ultrasound scans or blood tests, or a combination of both.

Ultrasound scans may detect conditions such as spina bifida.

Blood tests can show whether you have a high chance of inherited conditions such as sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia, and whether you have infections like HIV, hepatitis B or syphilis.

Blood tests combined with scans can help find out how likely it is that the baby has Down’s syndrome, Edward’s syndrome or Patau’s syndrome.

For more information, please visit NHS: Screening tests in pregnancy.

Support for people who feel anxious about attending cervical screening

For more information on the support that is available, please visit the support for people who feel anxious about attending cervical screening page.

What your screening results mean

If you get a normal result, it means you are at low risk of having the condition, but this does not mean you will never develop the condition in the future, just that you are low risk at the moment.

If you have a higher risk result, it means you may have the condition, at which point you will be offered further tests to confirm if you have the condition. You can then be offered treatment, advice and support.

Finding out about a problem early can mean that the treatment is more effective.

Cervical Screening

Cervical screening is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. It checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

If high risk types of HPV are found during screening, the sample of cells is also checked for abnormal cell changes.

If abnormal cells are found, they can be treated so they do not get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.

All women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 should go for regular screening and will receive an invitation to make an appointment in the post.

Women between 25 and 49 will be invited every 3 years; those between 50 and 64 every 5 years.

If you missed your last cervical screening, you do not need to wait for an invitation to book an appointment; call your GP reception team.

For more information, please visit NHS: Cervical screening.

Breast Screening

Breast screening uses x-rays, called mammograms, to look for cancers that are too small to see or feel.

Anyone registered with a GP as female will be automatically invited between the ages of 50 and 53. Then you will be invited every 3 years until you turn 71.

For further information, please visit:

PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) Test

A PSA test is a blood test to help check for prostate conditions such as prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.

Routine PSA testing is not offered on the NHS, as results can be unreliable.

You may be offered a PSA test if a doctor thinks you have symptoms that could be prostate cancer.

Before you have a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test you will need to confirm that you have not:

  • Got symptoms of, or are on treatment for, an active urinary infection.
  • Ejaculated in previous 48 hours.
  • Exercised vigorously in previous 48 hours.
  • Had a prostate biopsy in previous six weeks.

1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer. If you are over 50, or you are black, or your dad or brother had it, you are a higher risk. Recent research also suggests that obesity increases the risk of prostate cancer.

Anyone aged 50 or over with a prostate can ask for a PSA test.

There is a risk a PSA test result may not be accurate, and you may be offered tests and treatment you do not need.

You can discuss the benefits and risks of a PSA test with your GP.

For further information, please visit:

Screening for Newborn Babies

Your newborn baby will be offered some screening tests in their first 6 to 8 weeks.

Most babies are healthy and will not have any of the conditions the newborn screening tests are looking for, but for those babies who do have a health problem, the benefits of screening can be enormous.

Early treatment can improve their health and prevent severe disability or even death.

The screening tests are quick and simple and will not harm your baby in any way.

  • Physical Examination – offered soon after birth to check baby’s eyes, heart, hips and in boys, testicles.
  • Hearing screening – helps to identify babies who have permanent hearing loss as soon as possible.
  • Blood spot (heel prick) test – to check for 9 rare but serious health conditions.

For more information, please visit: