Our work in Scotland
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Scotland. Every year around 4,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in Scotland and more than 1,700 people die from the disease. However, bowel cancer is treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early.
We carry-out a range of activities in Scotland as part of our work to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer.
Community Engagement in Scotland
We have a dedicated member of staff, Natasha, based in Scotland as part of our Community Services Engagement team.
Natasha works across Scotland to raise awareness of our range of support and information services for people affected by bowel cancer. They also promote our health professional education offering, as well as working with the bowel cancer community locally to ensure our services meet their needs and complement the support available from their clinical teams and other support service providers.
She also works with our Awareness team, and our fabulous volunteers, to raise awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of early diagnosis. There is a particular focus on reaching communities of need, including communities in areas of high socio-economic deprivation and ethnically diverse communities.
If you would like to arrange a meeting with Natasha to find out more about our work in Scotland and discuss any opportunities to work together, please get in touch: [email protected]
We raise awareness
We have a dedicated team of awareness volunteers in Scotland, who have all been affected by bowel cancer. They deliver online and in-person bowel cancer awareness talks to community groups and workplaces, and host awareness stands at events, helping people to understand the signs, symptoms, and risk factors for the disease, as well as the importance of screening.
In 2024 we reached 1,767 people across Scotland through our awareness talks and stands. Find out more and book a talk. To request a stand please email [email protected]
By the end of 2025, as part of our UK-wide bowel cancer awareness roadshow, we'll have taken our giant inflatable bowel to four locations in Scotland – Dundee, Glasgow, Falkirk/Grangemouth and Edinburgh.
We encourage people to take part in bowel screening
Bowel screening can save lives but only two thirds (65.7%) of people in Scotland who receive a test complete it. Thousands of people are missing out on the chance to detect bowel cancer early when it's easier to treat. Find out more about bowel screening in Scotland.
We campaign
Our campaigning and policy work covers issues affecting people right across the UK and we include the experience of people in Scotland in all our work. Sign up to become a campaign supporter.
Early diagnosis
Early diagnosis can improve outcomes for patients because when bowel cancer is diagnosed earlier it is easier to treat. Evidence has shown the best way to do this is by having a national strategy for cancer. In June 2023, the Scottish Government published a new Cancer Strategy which sets out their vision for the next ten years to improve cancer survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care. In order to meet the strategic vision, the Scottish Government set out 11 ambitions. The ambitions that we believe will make the biggest difference to bowel cancer survival and outcomes:
- earlier and faster diagnosis
- safe, realistic and effective treatment
- sustainable and skilled workforce
- tackling inequalities
We fed into the development of the Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023 – 2033 and the three year action plan which underpins the strategy by identifying the actions that need to be delivered. We will continue to influence the development of future action plans to ensure that the issues faced by our community are addressed. Read our submission.
Lynch syndrome
Between April – July 2023, we carried out a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to find out whether health authorities across the UK were following clinical guidance for achieving an optimal Lynch syndrome pathway. We published our results in our January 2024 report: Finding the missing 95%. Encouragingly, we found that 91% of Health Boards (who responded) test for Lynch syndrome at the time of a bowel cancer diagnosis, an improvement from our previous report.
However, our findings also showed a postcode lottery of care when it came to the management of people affected by Lynch syndrome in Scotland. To address this, we are calling for a series of changes from the publication of national guidance to an improved testing system for the family members of those diagnosed with Lynch syndrome.
As part of this work, we recently brought together academics, clinicians and policymakers from across Scotland to host a roundtable in Edinburgh to discuss how we can improve Lynch syndrome care. To find out more, read out roundtable blog.
We work with others
We're passionate about collaborating and working with others to improve outcomes for people with cancer and are involved in a number of groups and boards.
We've represented on a number of groups including:
- The Scottish Cancer Coalition
- Scottish Cancer Coalition's Medicines Subgroup
- Scottish Cancer Coalition’s Early Diagnosis and Screening Subgroup
- Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Cancer
- Bowel Screening Programme Board
- Scottish Bowel Screening Steering Group
- Equity in Screening Network
- Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Elective Care Group
- SCOTCAP Project Board
- The Scottish Health Technologies Group
- The Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine – Patient Involvement Advisory Group (SSNGM-PIAG)
For more information and to feed in any issues through these groups, please get in touch with the team.
We fundraise
We're determined to save lives, but we can't do this without you. There are lots of ways you can support us in Scotland and help fund vital services and lifesaving research to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. Find out more about how to get involved.
