The Sussex Bowel Cancer Screening team are engaging with people experiencing homelessness to raise awareness about bowel cancer and improve early detection within this vulnerable group.
As part of their outreach efforts, the team has been attending breakfast clubs at local charities ‘Warming Up The Homeless’ in Hastings and the ‘Seaview Project’ in St Leonards-on-Sea. These visits aim to break down barriers to healthcare access and increase participation in bowel cancer screening.
Julia Meacham, Change Agent for the Sussex Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and initial lead for this initiative, said: “We reached out to this community to raise awareness about bowel cancer screening. We recognise that for individuals facing homelessness, health needs and certainly screening, are often lower priorities due to the multitude of complex issues they face.”
Bowel cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer if detected early. Bowel screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage (in people with no symptoms) when treatment is more likely to be effective and have a better outcome.
However, awareness and access to screening can be challenging for people experiencing homelessness who don’t regularly access healthcare.
Through these breakfast club visits, the team helped bridge this gap by engaging with service users and educating them on early detection, symptom awareness, and the importance of screening.
They also shared tools and knowledge with key workers, equipping them to help support their clients in understanding and accessing bowel cancer screening.
Julia explains: “This outreach has been an invaluable learning opportunity, helping us better understand the unique challenges homeless individuals face in accessing healthcare. It has enabled us to develop more effective, tailored approaches to improve engagement.
“With support from the Integrated Care Board (ICB), our team connected with a group of positive, engaged and driven outreach workers. Together, we explored ways to boost screening uptake, identify symptoms requiring GP follow-up, and provide timely support for this vulnerable population.”
The team plans to expand their visits to more homeless centres and support projects across Sussex, strengthening their outreach and ensuring the lifesaving message of bowel cancer awareness and screening reaches as many people as possible.
Kerry Fay, Clinical Manager and Lead Specialist Screening Practitioner for the Sussex Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, expressed gratitude to the outreach teams, saying: “Their warmth, enthusiasm, and dedication are invaluable, and their support continues to greatly enrich our learning and efforts.
“Our team are passionate about reducing inequalities in screening for all and continue with health promotion to raise awareness of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and signposting to other services that meet the needs of service users.”