A QUARTER of people eligible for bowel cancer screening in South West England don’t complete their screening test.

The data found by the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity Bowel Cancer UK showed that NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB has the lowest uptake in the South West region at 72.8 per cent.

Bowel Cancer UK is sharing screening uptake figures in the build-up to Bowel Cancer awareness month this April.

The charity looked at screening data across NHS integrated care boards (ICBs), which oversee local health services in England. 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the bowel cancer screening programme in England after it was first introduced in 2006. 

Genevieve Edwards, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: “While there’s been great work to date when it comes to people taking part in bowel cancer screening, these figures show that there’s still room to improve screening uptake even further. 

“Bowel cancer is England's fourth most common cancer, but screening is one of the best ways to spot the disease early or remove polyps that might develop into cancer. 

 “This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, we want everyone who receives their free bowel cancer screening test to complete and return it as soon as possible."