Our purpose
Cancer Council Western Australia aims to work with our community to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer. In line with this, Members of Parliament (MPs) are invited to use our Bowel Cancer Screening Toolkit to raise awareness of bowel cancer and the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) within their electorate. This toolkit includes education opportunities, reminder notices and other prompt materials to be used in a range of contexts.
Background
Bowel cancer is cancer in any part of the large intestine, which usually develops over a number of years. Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. It is estimated that approximately 16,000 Australians are diagnosed each year.
Eligible Australians aged 45 to 74 years can receive a free bowel cancer screening kit every two years as part of the NBCSP. The kit looks for microscopic amounts of blood in poo, it’s done at home, and only takes a few minutes. Participants are contacted with their results in the mail, including whether they need any follow-up tests. Unfortunately, current participation in Western Australia is under 45 per cent. Research has found that we could prevent 84,000 bowel cancer deaths by 2040 if we could reach and maintain participation at 60 per cent.
The NBCSP is important because bowel cancer often develops with no symptoms. The kits are designed to detect bowel cancer in its very early stages, and fortunately, more than 90 per cent of bowel cancers can be treated successfully when detected early.
Visit our webpage to learn more about bowel cancer screening.
Benefits
Collaboration between Cancer Council WA and MPs:
- Encourages MPs to engage with their constituents and utilise their position and influence to encourage positive health choices, including participating in the NBCSP.
- Offers opportunities for MPs to build healthier communities through education and awareness of both risk factors for bowel cancer and the free screening program.
How we can work together
The below table presents opportunities that can be utilised by MPs with support from Cancer Council WA.
| Resource | Format | Target Group | Cancer Council WA Involvement | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social media tiles | Online | Social media followers |
We have provided social media tiles and content promoting participation in the NBCSP | MPs can provide information about the NBCSP using Cancer Council WA generated social media tiles via their social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn |
| Email signature banner | Online | Internal and external stakeholders |
We have provided a NBCSP eSignature banner | MPs can include an eSignature banner at the bottom of their email signature which promotes participation in the NBCSP as well as acts as a reminder to do the kit |
| Birthday slips | Online | Individual constituents turning 50 years old | We have provided bowel cancer screening reminder birthday slips that can be printed for mailing | MPs can send out birthday slips when a constituent turns 50 to act as a reminder to complete the home test kit and encourage participation. |
| Bowel cancer brochure | Online | All stakeholders and constituents | We have provided an online version of the bowel cancer brochure | When appropriate, MPs can disseminate brochures to stakeholders and constituents to increase knowledge about bowel cancer and the NBCSP |
| Newsletter article | Online | All stakeholders and constituents | We can provide online article content and imagery suitable for use in newsletters, bulletins, and other communications | MPs can utilise this content in communications to improve bowel cancer education and promotion of the NBCSP |
For more information, please email bowel@cancerwa.asn.au
Birthday reminder slips
Birthday reminder slip
Social media tiles and e-signature
Social media tiles
Bowel cancer social media tile – Make the time! #dothetest
Bowel cancer social media tile – Give a crap! #dothetest
E-signature
Bowel cancer brochure
Bowel cancer brochure
This brochure contains information about bowel cancer, including how it develops, who is at risk and how you can reduce your risk.