Ending Emergency Diagnosis 

Nobody should find out they have bowel cancer in A&E

About one in four people with bowel cancer are diagnosed in an emergency, often in A&E. It’s shocking, devastating and usually means the cancer is more advanced – making treatment harder and survival chances lower. And it doesn’t have to be this way.

Help us build a future where nobody discovers they have bowel cancer in A&E.

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Why is this happening?

Many emergency visits happen when severe symptoms have not been spotted and linked to bowel cancer sooner and screening may not be reaching everyone. People often seek urgent care when they experience chronic anaemia, intense stomach pain, bleeding or vomiting. By the time people do this the cancer is often advanced, limiting treatment options and putting huge strain on patients, families and the NHS.

Early diagnosis saves lives 

When bowel cancer is found through bowel cancer screening or from a quick referral to further test after someone experiences symptoms, it’s far more likely to be caught early, when treatment is simpler and more effective. But when the diagnosis comes during a crisis – like a blockage or tear in the bowel – treatment is more difficult. 

It’s a complex problem with no quick solution

A mix of factors can drive emergency diagnoses:

bowel cancer is not investigated in a timely way
symptoms are missed or mistaken for other conditions
screening still isn't reaching everyone it should
delays in the system like staffing shortages and bottlenecks in colonoscopy services mean cancers aren’t always found in time.

However, we still need a better understanding of how all of these factors, and others, come together to mean people are being diagnosed in A&E. This is a complex problem with no quick fix and understanding what is driving emergency diagnoses is essential to finding the changes that will have the biggest impact.

A close up photo of a hospital sign. The sign is split in two. The top half of the sign is blue. It has the words 'Main Entrance' on it in white and a white arrow pointing to the left. The last 'e' in 'Entrance' is cut off at the edge of the image. The bottom half of the sign is red. It has the word 'Emergency' in all capitals on it in white and a white arrow pointing to the left.

What is our vision?

Our vision for this campaign is a future where nobody has to discover they have bowel cancer in A&E.

A future where symptoms are recognised early, referrals happen quickly and screening reaches everyone it should. A future where emergency diagnoses are the rare exception, not the rule. 

Reaching that future will need commitment from the NHS, government, charities and the public. It means listening to people with lived experience, clinicians and communities to understand what’s working and what isn’t — and building solutions that make early diagnosis possible for everyone. 

How will we make change?

Together, we can end emergency diagnosis of bowel cancer. We know early diagnosis saves lives, but this isn’t simple and we need to know more about this issue to know how to fix it. Then we need to make sure politicians sit up and listen to the way forward.

In 2026, we’re building our foundations to understand the next steps for this issue. You’ve already helped shape this and now we need you to help us carry it on.

Building a plan

We believe a change in policy (how government instructs organisations like the NHS to work) is what will drive progress in this area. For a problem this complicated, we need to understand the issue from multiple perspectives to be able to develop some really strong policy recommendations.

For us, this comes from thinking about three things, which we’re calling the Pillars of Policy:

The patient perspective
Insights from healthcare professionals
Solid research and evidence

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The patient perspective

With our patient insight report “Behind the emergency: Patient stories of bowel cancer diagnosed in A&E“ we've gathered stories and perspectives from our community. We then shared these with politicians and beyond to explain what a devastating experience these emergency diagnoses can be and secure their support on this issue. This kickstarted our campaign and will underpin all our work in this area.

Read the report

An illustrated icon. The icon shows a dark teal circle. On the circle there are two silhouettes in white. The silhouette on the right has a hat on their head with a small dark teal cross on it. The silhouette on the left has a dark teal stethoscope around their neck.

Insights from clinicians

In developing our Clinical Insight Report, we’re listening to healthcare professionals to understand exactly what this issue looks like in practice and what is needed to help drive positive change.

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Research and evidence

Later this year, we’ll be bringing together researchers and specialists in this area at a roundtable event to look at evidence and data from across the UK. This will help is to drive change, identify where more research is needed and help build a future where nobody has to discover they have bowel cancer in A&E.

How can we get involved?

Together, we can end emergency diagnosis of bowel cancer. Sign up below to get regular updates on our campaigning work and more, as well as opportunities to get involved.

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