Breast, Cervical and Bowel Screening Awareness Programme (Funded by the Public Health Agency)

WRDA’s ground breaking Breast, Cervical and Bowel Screening Awareness Programme was developed to tackle the low uptake of screening invitations by women living in some areas of Northern Ireland. Impact assessments have shown that participants are more likely to attend screening after participating in the programme.

The programme aims to:
• Raise awareness regarding breast, cervical and bowel screening.
• Encourage participants to avail of screening services on offer.
• Explore and address fears surrounding screening processes.

It is delivered locally and is practical and interactive whilst conveying a high impact message. Materials and activities were developed in partnership with Belfast & South Eastern Trust and Action Cancer, ensuring quality and up to date information.

The programme consists of 3 sessions delivered by Community Facilitators using a participatory learning approach and interactive training resources.

Session 1 looks at the importance of breast awareness and breast screening. Includes a practical demonstration on how to correctly check your breasts and explains the signs and symptoms to look for.

Session 2 highlights the benefits of regular cervical screening, as well as what happens at a smear test, and includes the types of results and what they mean.

Session 3 raises awareness of bowel cancer screening, what signs and symptoms to look out for, ways to reduce your risk of developing bowel cancer and how to take the screening test.

For more information on the Breast, Cervical & Bowel Screening Awareness Programme or to book the programme for your community group, please contact Katherine Robertson on 028 9023 0212 or email [email protected].

We also have an Outreach Worker, Emma Gray, who promotes sessions of the BCB Programme designed for groups of women who have more difficulty in accessing breast screening services than others. She can be emailed on [email protected].