Congratulations to the National Bowel Screening Programme which was joint winner of the Service Excellence Award at last night’s 2022 Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission Spirit of Service Awards!

The prestigious Service Excellence Award celebrates leading-edge service improvements that are making a real difference to the lives of New Zealanders.

Aotearoa has one of the highest bowel cancer rates in the world, and our National Screening Unit has worked tirelessly to establish the National Bowel Screening programme.

The programme is now accessible to over 835,000 New Zealanders and is the culmination of over 20 years of mahi, involving people from the Ministry of Health New Zealand; healthcare providers including the former Waitematā DHB - now known as Te Whatu Ora Waitematā who successfully managed the bowel screening pilot for six years; the Bowel Screening Advisory Group; Whakarongorau Aotearoa / New Zealand Telehealth Services/; HealthShare – He Rourou Takitahi; and various expert groups and individuals working together to achieve a safe and high-quality national implementation.

The team have created at-home test kits and a nationwide register, and have ensured all health regions in Aotearoa are well equipped to provide quality care to those impacted by bowel cancer. This includes lifting the quality of endoscopy services around the country.

With a focus on making bowel screening accessible to all eligible participants to achieve early detection and prevention, the team are saving lives.