NHS England’s new ‘Bowel Cancer Screening’ campaign has launched featuring the engaging ‘Ribbon Dancer’ creative. This latest phase of NHS England’s ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign is designed to encourage people who are sent the NHS bowel cancer screening home test kit to complete and return it. The campaign launched on Monday 20th February and runs until 31st March 2023. It is supported by Cancer Research UK.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK. Yet the latest data shows that almost one third of people who were sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit in England last year did not go on to complete it. Early diagnosis is vital, as detecting bowel cancer at the earliest stage makes you up to 9 times more likely to be successfully treated.
The campaign aims to increase the number of people returning a completed bowel cancer screening test by raising awareness that it can detect signs of cancer before they notice anything wrong and addressing the main barriers preventing people from completing the test.
Campaign activity is targeting people aged 56 to 74, to align with the age of eligibility for being sent a home test kit. The campaign will also focus on those from lower socio-economic groups and ethnic minorities as these groups have been shown to be less likely to complete the screening kit.
The campaign will run in England and includes TV, Video on Demand (VOD), online video, community radio, search, PR, partnerships, and social media. There will be activity targeted to ethnic minority audiences including Black and South Asian communities, and engagement with disability organisations to reach disabled audiences, with alternative formats being made available for partners.
For further information please contact england.campaigns@nhs.net
Thank you for supporting the campaign.
Best Wishes,
NHS England Campaigns Team
