Health · England
Understanding cancer screening
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Screening checks for possible health problems before you feel unwell.
This guide is about screening in England.
Screening invitations
You may get a letter about a screening test.
This does not mean you have cancer.
Ask your GP which screening tests you can have.
Tell them if an expected letter has not arrived.
Different screening tests
Bowel screening checks a small sample of your poo.
You use a kit at home.
Breast screening takes X-ray pictures of your breasts.
Tell staff if it hurts or you want to stop.
Cervical screening checks cells from your cervix.
Your cervix is the opening to your womb.
This screening helps prevent cervical cancer.
Understanding and choosing a test
Ask staff to explain each step.
You can ask for pictures or simpler words.
Ask what the test can and cannot tell you.
Ask what could happen after the result.
Screening is a choice.
You can ask for help to understand your choices.
Tell staff what helps you feel comfortable.
Ask for more time or someone you trust.
Results and new symptoms
Ask when and how your result will arrive.
Ask someone to help you understand it if you want.
Sometimes you need another test.
This does not always mean you have cancer.
Tell your GP about new symptoms that worry you.
Do not wait for your next screening invitation.
What you can do next
Ask your GP or screening service about your invitation.
Tell them what support you need.
Find Easy Read screening guides Web pageEasy ReadOfficial guidanceEasy Read resourcesThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Easy Read bowel screening guides PDFEasy Read
Official downloadable guides, including using the home test kit.
- Easy Read breast screening guide PDFEasy Read
An official illustrated PDF about breast screening.
- Easy Read cervical screening guide PDFEasy Read
An official illustrated PDF to support a screening decision.
- Beyond Words: free picture stories Web pageFree resourcesPicture storiesDownloads
Word-free stories include breast, cervical and bowel screening. Other books on the provider’s website may cost money.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Cancer screening: understanding invitations and making your choice
Bowel, breast and cervical screening, accessible appointments and understanding what happens next.
Adults · England · Screening choices and access
What screening can do
Screening looks for signs of a health problem or increased risk, often before someone feels unwell. Finding a problem early can make treatment more effective. Cancer screening programmes do different things: bowel and breast screening look for possible cancer, while cervical screening helps prevent it. An invitation does not mean anyone thinks you have cancer.
Check which invitations apply to you
Eligibility and invitation arrangements differ between programmes. Ask your GP which screening you should be offered, taking account of your age, body and health history. Check that the practice has your current address and communication needs. If an expected invitation or kit has not arrived, contact the practice or screening service. A learning disability should not automatically exclude you.
Bowel screening: a small sample of poo
The home test, called FIT, checks a small sample of poo for blood that may not be visible. Follow the instructions supplied with your own kit. Ask the screening service for accessible instructions or help if collecting a sample is difficult. Blood in the sample does not automatically mean cancer. Further assessment may include a colonoscopy, where a camera examines the bowel.
Breast screening: pictures of the breasts
A mammogram uses X-rays to look for breast changes. Each breast is briefly held between plates to obtain the pictures. It can feel uncomfortable or painful. Tell staff about difficulty standing, moving or being touched, and discuss positioning beforehand. Ask what will happen, how privacy will be protected and how to ask staff to stop.
Cervical screening: checking the cervix
The cervix is the opening to the womb from the vagina. A small sample of cells is collected from it and checked for high-risk types of human papillomavirus, or HPV. If these are found, the sample is checked for cell changes. This is not a test that diagnoses cancer. Ask for pictures and an explanation of the examination. Trans men and non-binary people with a cervix can ask their GP about invitations.
Understand benefits and possible disadvantages
Ask what the test could find and what would happen after each result. Screening can miss a problem or suggest one that further tests do not confirm. It may lead to worry, additional tests or treatment. Discuss the benefits, limitations and what matters to you. You do not have to accept screening because a supporter wants you to.
Arrange support before the appointment
Tell the service how you communicate and what would help. Possibilities include Easy Read information, a longer appointment, a familiarisation visit, a quieter space or a supporter you choose. Ask the learning disability team to help where needed. Explain sensory needs, mobility, past distress and how you show discomfort. Agree a way to request a pause or stop; do not wait until distress becomes overwhelming.
Support the decision, rather than assume it
People should be helped to understand and decide. Learning disability or not using speech does not establish lack of capacity. If an adult cannot make this particular decision despite support, the appropriate Mental Capacity Act process is needed, including their wishes and best interests. A family member cannot simply give consent because they are related. Screening decisions and any later investigation may need separate consideration.
Make results and follow-up accessible
Before the test, ask when and how results will arrive and whom to contact if they do not. Ask someone you choose to help read the result. A request for another test does not by itself confirm cancer. Find out what the next test is for, the available choices and the support needed. Keep an agreed record of follow-up actions and appointments.
Do not wait for screening when symptoms appear
Tell a GP about a new or persistent change that worries you, even if a screening result was reassuring or you are not eligible for routine screening. Screening invitations are not a way to assess current symptoms. Use urgent health services if someone is becoming acutely unwell. The linked guides explain tests, appointments, communication support and urgent help.
Words you could use
“Please explain this screening invitation in a way I understand. What are my choices, what support can you arrange, and how will I receive the result?”
More useful links
- Easy Read bowel screening guides PDFEasy Read
Official downloadable guides, including using the home test kit.
- Easy Read breast screening guide PDFEasy Read
An official illustrated PDF about breast screening.
- Easy Read cervical screening guide PDFEasy Read
An official illustrated PDF to support a screening decision.
- Beyond Words: free picture stories Web pageFree resourcesPicture storiesDownloads
Word-free stories include breast, cervical and bowel screening. Other books on the provider’s website may cost money.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 1 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: screening Web page
Purpose, informed choice, benefits and limitations of screening in England.
- NHS: bowel cancer screening Web page
FIT kits, results, further tests and symptoms after screening.
- NHS: the breast screening appointment Web page
Mammograms, discomfort, practical access needs and asking to stop.
- NHS: what cervical screening is Web page
HPV testing, cell changes and invitations for people with a cervix.
- NHS England: accessible cervical screening Web page
Supporting informed choices, reasonable adjustments and best-interests decisions.
- GOV.UK: checking mental capacity Web page
Decision-specific capacity and communicating a decision in different ways.
- NHS England: Easy Read screening resources Web pageEasy Read resourcesOfficial guidance
Official accessible guides and links to visual resources.
- Beyond Words: free stories and resources Web pageFree resourcesPicture storiesDownloads
Word-free picture stories to support understanding and conversations.