Waitemata Bowel Screening Pilot

Gaye Tozer

National Bowel Screening Programme Meeting

19 August 2015

The screening pathway

• Multiple providers• Equity focus• Raising awareness• Invitation• Results reporting• The primary care role• Colonoscopy (CTC)• Surveillance & treatment

Raising awareness(Health promotion and communications)

• the wider WDHB community• the eligible population• Maori, Pacific and Asian groups• primary care• other providers (symptomatic gastroenterology,

radiology, schedulers)

The invitation

• Pre-populated register• Pre-invitation – invitation/test kit• Birth date driven• Outsourced collation and mail out• New Zealand Post• Information line

Laboratory services

• Sample return processes• Sample analysis and reporting• Turn around time standards• “Spoilt” test kits

Primary care role

• Supporting participation – dashboard/DrInfo• Contacting participants with positive result• Discussing implications• Referring for colonoscopy• Referral time standard• No role in negative results management• PHO liaison roles

Colonoscopy

• Dedicated service• Telephone pre-assessment• Wait time standard• Volumes – then and now• Capacity• Relationship with symptomatic

service• Surveillance/treatment

Achieving equity

• Maori & Pacific input at all levels• Equity focused reporting• Maori and Pacific staff• Consultation and advice• Collateral design• Community Health providers• Active follow up

What have we learned?

• Health services are not mail houses• The design of forms/letters/pamphlets matters• New Zealand Post can provide a great service• GPs support the programme• Colonoscopy volumes can be a challenge• Telephone pre-assessment works well• Active follow up works• GPs use dashboard and DrInfo cont…

…cont What have we learned?

• A strong quality framework plus constant audit and review is essential to the maintenance of standards

• Screening standards can lift the symptomatic performance

• Achieving equity requires focus and expertise• Communicate, communicate, communicate