NHS Screening Services

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening

If you are a man aged over 65 you are more likely to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. That is why the NHS AAA Screening Programme invites men for screening during the year (1 April to 31 March) that they turn 65.

Men over 65 who have not previously been screened or diagnosed with an aneurysm can request a scan by contacting their local programme directly.

Phone: 01803 655441
Email:  sdhct.AAADevon@nhs.net
For more information: AAA Screening

Bowel Cancer Screening

NHS bowel cancer screening checks if you could have bowel cancer. It's available to everyone aged 60 to 74 years.

The programme is expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50 to 59 years. This is happening gradually over 4 years and started in April 2021.

You use a home test kit, called a faecal immunochemical test (FIT), to collect a small sample of poo and send it to a lab.  Everyone aged 60 to 74 years who is registered with a GP and lives in England is automatically sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit every 2 years.

This is checked for tiny amounts of blood.  Blood can be a sign of polyps or bowel cancer. Polyps are growths in the bowel. They are not cancer, but may turn into cancer over time.If the test finds anything unusual, you might be asked to go to hospital to have further tests to confirm or rule out cancer.

Always see a GP if you have symptoms of bowel cancer at any age, even if you have recently completed a NHS bowel cancer screening test kit – do not wait to have a screening test.

If you're 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every 2 years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

Breast Screening

This service is offered to women aged between 50 and 70 years. You will receive your first screening invitation by letter after your 50th birthday and prior to your 53rd birthday. After this you will receive an appointment every 3 years until you are 70. After the age of 70 you can refer yourself directly on 01392 262600.

The mobile unit is situated at the Estuary Car & Coach Park, Imperial Road, Exmouth, EX8 1BZ (behind the Exmouth train station).  The most recent invitations were sent out at the end of 2018 for screening during January and February 2019.  If you did not receive an invite and would like to be seen then please contact the screening department direct on 01392 262600.

For more information: Breast Screening

Diabetic Eye Screening

The NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (NDESP) aims to reduce the risk of sight loss among people with diabetes by the early detection and treatment, if needed, of sight-threatening retinopathy. More than 80 local programmes deliver screening across England.

Diabetic eye screening and the use of personal information can be viewed via this link.

Screening Information for Transgender Persons

Please follow this link for information regarding transgender and non-binary people in England.  It will provide you with information regarding the adult NHS screening programmes that are available in England and explains who we invite for screening.