What plans does the Welsh Government have to reduce the test sensitivity threshold for the Bowel Screening Wales Programme, in line with the UK National Screening Committee's recommendations?
In July, Bowel Screening Wales will have completed the final stage of its optimisation programme, extending invitations to people aged 50 to 74 and maintaining a faecal immunochemical test (FIT test) sensitivity threshold of 80 µg/g. This positions Wales, alongside Scotland, as one of the only UK nations offering screening to this wider age range at the lowest threshold currently in use.
To improve opportunities for early diagnosis we are also working with primary care services on referral practice, rolling out FIT as a tool to triage referrals, and we have introduced rapid diagnostic centres throughout Wales.