At the end of April, the Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham team launched a new report focusing on barriers to bowel cancer screening that they had identified within the borough. This builds on a review of the NHS Long Term Plan which acknowledge a need for a more tailored and community-focused approach to improve uptake.
2022-23 statistics on public health in Barking and Dagenham revealed that the uptake of screening was over 10% lower than the national average. In response, the Healthwatch team carried out a survey of residents in 2024, with the support of the North East London Cancer Alliance, to determine potential causes of this inequality.
The research identified numerous cultural barriers, including low trust amongst minority communities, language and health literacy concerns, and cultural taboos about discussing cancer. There was also confusion about the nature of the screening, with many believing it was only for men. Moreover, many residents expressed a desire for receiving information from sources they felt they could trust, such as faith organisations and libraries, as well as information that was more sensitive to different cultures and translated into relevant languages.
A series of recommendations were provided to service providers to address the identified issues.
