Good bowel screen test return

The National Bowel Screening Programme in the Southern district has seen a 68 per cent return rate – that’s 6 per cent higher than the national average, the Southern District Health Board says. Since the programme was launched in April, more than 14,000 home bowel testing kits had been sent out. It was heartening to note that 76 per cent of the kits sent to Maori residents had been completed and returned, ‘‘which is an excellent result in terms of promoting equitable health outcomes for Maori living in the district’’, a DHB spokesperson said. The overall success was attributed to a high level of community engagement.