Programme overview:

The NEL Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (Phase 4) is delivered by Eclipse in partnership with the North East London Cancer Alliance and the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Hub. It helps more of your eligible patients take part in bowel cancer screening, with no added workload for your practice.

This phase focuses on patients aged 50 to 59 living in the most deprived communities (Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles 1 and 2) who have not responded to a previous screening invitation. Eclipse identifies and engages these patients on your practice’s behalf, so that more of them complete their FIT home test kit.

Why this matters

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosed across North East London, and around 56% of patients are diagnosed at a late stage (stage 3 or 4), when treatment is less likely to be successful. Screening uptake is lowest in 50 to 60 year olds (32.7%, compared with 57.9% in 60 to 74 year olds), and North East London has the second lowest bowel screening uptake in London. Improving early detection in this group is a Cancer Alliance priority, and small increases in uptake can save lives.

How the programme works

• Identify – eligible non-responders in deprivation deciles 1 and 2 are identified from your practice’s coded record using the Eclipse platform.

• Invite – patients receive an SMS on your practice’s behalf, linking to an NHS-branded information page and a short questionnaire.

• Support – the Eclipse Virtual Support Team follows up patients who do not respond, by telephone, to answer questions and encourage screening.

• Arrange kits – patients who need a replacement FIT kit and consent to it are passed securely to the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Hub, which sends the kit and manages the result.

• No added workload – Eclipse runs the identification, engagement and reporting. Your practice does not need to contact patients or send kits as part of this initiative.

What we need from your practice

Because your practice already has a Data Sharing Agreement in place with Prescribing Services, your practice will be included in Phase 4 by default. You do not need to do anything to take part. This existing Data Sharing Agreement provides the agreed information-governance basis under which Eclipse processes data on your practice’s behalf to identify eligible patients and contact them, in support of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme delivered in partnership with the North East London Cancer Alliance and the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Hub.

Clinical safety and governance

• The programme identifies and supports patients, and does not replace clinical judgement.

• Eclipse does not send test kits, interpret results, or make referrals. Kit dispatch, results and follow-up remain with the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Hub, and clinical responsibility remains with the patient’s registered GP practice.

• Your practice remains the data controller for its patient data. Eclipse (Prescribing Services Ltd) acts as data processor under the Data Sharing Agreement in place with your practice.

You only need to complete the form below if your practice does not wish to take part. If you would like to opt out, please complete and submit the form by 14 August 2026.