The mother of Deborah Anne James, who sadly lost her life to bowel cancer, is backing the launch of a new NHS campaign which urges anyone who receives a bowel cancer home testing kit to use and return it.

Heather James is pleased to be supporting the latest phase of the NHS’s Help Us to Help You campaign called ‘Life Saving Poo’ as she said it’s something Deborah would have wholeheartedly supported.

Heather said: “Deborah was passionate about encouraging people to check their poo, understand their own bodies and make sure all symptoms were properly investigated so she would have totally believed in this campaign that encourages those who are sent bowel cancer testing kits to use them.”

She added: “On behalf of my daughter Deborah and myself, I would ask you to place the testing kit by your loo when you receive it and then remembering her final words of advice – check your poo it could just save your life.”

Nationally each month, the NHS posts out more than half a million free Faecal Immunochemical Test kits (FIT) to people to use in the privacy of their homes.

In the South East of England, latest published data shows the proportion of people choosing to participate in bowel screening has increased to 73.4% – the highest on record which is encouraging and higher than the national average of 70.3%. However, there is still a percentage of people who are not returning their test kit.

The launch of the campaign – across TV, radio, video on demand and social media – aims to increase uptake and ensure more people are diagnosed with bowel cancer at the earliest stage, when they are nine times more likely to survive.

The campaign will highlight how quick and convenient it is to complete the test with the advert showing a man joyfully running around his house with toilet roll before completing the test. The ad ends by saying: “Put it by the loo. Don’t put it off.”

People aged 60 to 74 years who are registered with a GP practice and lives in England are automatically sent a FIT kit every two years. As part of plans to lower the age of people that receive the test to age 50 by 2025, 56-year-olds are sent the test kit and it is currently being rolled out to 58-year-olds.

The FIT kit is quicker to use than the previous bowel cancer screening home testing kit. To use it, people simply need to collect a tiny sample of poo using the plastic stick provided, pop it in the sample bottle; and send it free of charge to the NHS for tests in a laboratory.  It detects small amounts of blood in poo – that would not be visible to people – before someone may notice anything is wrong.

Tim Caroe, Medical Director Primary Care Transformation for NHS South East said: “Screening is one of the best ways to diagnose bowel cancer early, or in some cases to even prevent it from developing in the first place. If you catch the problem early enough, it is possible to offer highly effective, life-saving treatment which is why we want more people to take part in the screening programme.”

He added: “If you’re sent a FIT kit, help yourself by remembering to complete it. Put it by the loo. Don’t put it off.

“Screening is designed to find early disease in people with no symptoms. If you have a change in your bowel habit or bleeding from your bottom, these can be signs of serious illness, and we would recommend contacting a healthcare professional for advice.”

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, and the second biggest cancer killer.

Thankfully for Mr John Rosling, his bowel cancer (stage 2 tumour) was caught early after he underwent a series of blood tests and other tests in May 2016.

Mr Rosling said: “I made the mistake of ignoring my test kits prior to my diagnosis as I thought I knew my body best and I was feeling fine. However, it wasn’t until several months later that I felt extremely unwell whilst away on holiday and was later diagnosed with bowel cancer.”

“As you can probably imagine, I have never ignored a testing kit since!”

He added: “I am great supporter of Bowel Cancer UK and I think it is really important to raise awareness about screening and ensure that patients attend their appointments. I am very grateful for the care and treatment by everyone in the NHS and without them I wouldn’t be here today.”

People concerned that they may have missed their invitation or have lost or thrown away their kit can call the free bowel cancer screening helpline for advice on 0800 707 60 60. Information on bowel cancer and the screening programme can be found at: nhs.uk/bowel-screening