Health services

Tender description

NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit on behalf of NHS England — North Midlands (the Commissioner) is seeking to gain a greater understanding of the potential market to inform future commissioning of Bowel Cancer Screening Hub by asking Providers to respond to a market assessment questionnaire by 12:00 noon 12.7.2017. The Bowel Cancer Screening HUB has responsibility to ensure that the invitation, result and sample testing service process runs in a timely and effective manner, including managing non-responders. This can play an indirect but important role in improving uptake rates for Bowel Cancer and Bowel Scope screening. Bowel Cancer Screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage (in people with no symptoms), when treatment is more likely to be effective. Bowel Cancer Screening can also detect polyps. The Programme offers screening every 2 years to all men and women aged 60 to 74. A Faecal Occult Blood (FOB) test kit is sent out to the eligible person's home address along with step-by-step instructions for completing the test at home and sending the samples to the hub laboratory. Results are then sent to the person and the persons GP. Around 98 in 100 people will receive a normal result and will be returned to routine screening. Around 2 in 100 people will receive an abnormal result. They will be referred for further investigation and usually offered a colonoscopy. Bowel Scope Screening is a new part of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and is currently being rolled out across the area. It involves a once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy being offered for all people around the time of their 55th birthday.