Concern mounts over bowel screening

The British Medical Journal has followed up the Forum's concern that the promised bowel screening programme may be shelved.

Ian Beaumont of Bowel Cancer UK told the BMJ's Rebecca Coombes that with the programme scheduled to go national in April, it was 'very last minute to be saying resources aren't in place. Preparations should have been made years ago.'

Both Bowel Cancer UK and the MHF were waiting responses to their letters to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt expressing concern.

A government spokesperson reaffirming that the programme would be rolled out in April 2006 said: 'Department of Health budgets for 2006-7 are currently being finalised and announcements will be made in due course.'

The BMJ story can be downloaded below (PDF).

• Link to original Forum news story

Related Files

• BMJ article - 18 Feb 2006