BowelScreen, BreastCheck and CervicalCheck are

cancer screening The objective of cancer screening is to detect cancer before symptoms appear, involving various methods such as blood tests, urine tests, DNA tests, and medical imaging. The purpose of screening is early cancer detection, to make the cancer easie ...

programmes organised by the

Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) () is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005. The current director-general is Berna ...

(HSE) in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

BowelScreen

BowelScreen is the national

bowel cancer screening Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

programme. It was launched in November 2012 by

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

James Reilly, with the eventual aim of offering bi-annual scans to people ages 55 to 74. It is offered every two years to residents of Ireland age 59 to 69. The screening consists of an at-home

stool test A stool test is a medical diagnostic technique that involves the collection and analysis of fecal matter. Microbial analysis (culturing), microscopy and chemical tests are among the tests performed on stool samples. Collection Stool samples shou ...

and, if a certain level of blood is found, a referral for a

colonoscopy Colonoscopy () or coloscopy () is a medical procedure involving the Endoscopy, endoscopic examination of the large bowel (colon) and the distal portion of the small bowel. This examination is performed using either a Charge-coupled device, CCD ...

BreastCheck

BreastCheck is the national

breast cancer screening Breast cancer screening is the medical screening of asymptomatic, apparently healthy women for breast cancer in an attempt to achieve an earlier diagnosis. The assumption is that early detection will improve outcomes. A number of screening tests ...

programme. It was initially founded under

Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Min ...

's tenure as

Minister for Health and Children The Minister for Health () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Health. The Minister for Health is responsible for healthcare in Ireland and related services. The current Minister for Health is Jennifer ...

in October 2000 as a pilot in a limited number of

health boards NHS Scotland, sometimes styled NHSScotland, is the publicly–funded healthcare system in Scotland and one of the four systems that make up the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It operates 14 territorial NHS boards across Scotland ...

. Over 70% of the women invited to take part in the screening in the first year, accepted. During the height of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in 2020, breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings were temporarily suspended and the number of breast cancer-related procedures and diagnoses were greatly reduced. This has led to concerns over the lasting effects of the pandemic, including healthcare capacity issues and delayed diagnoses. , free breast cancer screening is offered every two years to all women aged 50 to 67. Due to the pandemic, invitations for breast screening may be sent every three years instead of every two years.

CervicalCheck

CervicalCheck is the national

cervical screening Cervical cancer screening is a medical screening test designed to identify risk of cervical cancer. Cervical screening may involve looking for viral DNA, and/or to identify abnormal, potentially precancerous cells within the cervix as well as cel ...

programme. It was launched in September 2008 as the public name of the National Cancer Screening Service. In May 2008, then chief executive officer Tony O'Brien dismissed claims that misdiagnoses would result from the use of US-based lab

Quest Diagnostics Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is an American clinical laboratory. A Fortune 500, ''Fortune'' 500 company, Quest operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. Quest also maintains collaborative agreements with various hospitals ...

2018

In 2014, a woman presented with a confirmed diagnosis of cervical cancer after a CervicalCheck test showed no abnormalities. On 26 April 2018, the HSE confirmed that 206 women developed cervical cancer after having a screening test which was subsequently deemed to be potentially inaccurate, given the known limitations of screening using smear technology. In May, HSE director-general Tony O'Brien took temporary leave of absence from the board of a US medical company amid renewed calls for him to stand aside from his position due to the ongoing controversy. Tony O'Brien announced his resignation as director-general of the HSE with effect from close of business on 11 May.

References

Cancer screening Healthcare in the Republic of Ireland {{Pathology-stub