'Give it a go': Former patients share their experiences of cancer screening

A diverse network of volunteer representatives who have undergone screening offers the HSE valuable insights into the patient journey and advice on improving its communications

Mary Kennedy, who received treatment for early-stage bowel cancer following her diagnosis through the HSE’s bowel screening programme, is a patient representative. Picture: Moya Nolan.

Most people have some awareness of the programmes operated by the HSE’s National Screening Service (NSS) — BreastCheck, CervicalCheck, Diabetic RetinaScreen and BowelScreen — but what is less known is the Patient and Public Partnership (PPP), a panel of citizens who voluntarily give their time and expertise to ensure that the needs of people who are being screened are met and that the experience is patient-led — which was not the case several years ago.

Recommendations made in Dr Gabriel Scally’s 2018 scoping inquiry into CervicalCheck resulted in the establishment of the PPP, which emulated best-practice international models, such as those found in Canada and NHS England.