Somerset Bowel Service

If you are concerned about symptoms, you don’t need to contact your GP. Instead, you can complete the online self-referral form and refer yourself directly to the Somerset Bowel Service.

If you are unable to complete the referral form online you can contact us on the number below and the office team will be able to complete the self-referral form with you over the telephone. Please allow 10 minutes to complete this over the phone.

Telephone number: 01823 213658

Opening hours: 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

There are some symptoms that are not normal and need to be investigated these are:

• bleeding from your bottom
• blood in your poo
• a change in your pooing habits. You might be going more or less often, or have diarrhoea or constipation that might come and go
• losing weight but you’re not sure why
• a pain in your tummy

If you have any of these symptoms you can now complete an easy online form which will tell you whether you should do a poo test. If you do then we will send you a poo test called a ‘FIT’ (Faecal Immunochemical Test). This test looks for blood in the poo even if it is too small to be seen by the naked eye.

Some of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions. Having the symptoms does not definitely mean you have bowel cancer, but it’s important to get checked. If your symptoms are caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it’s easier to treat.

Patients between the ages of 40 to 49 registered with a GP in Bridgwater can now can self-refer into the Somerset Bowel Service, which means you do not have to go to your GP in the first instance. There are two different ways to refer into the service. The form can be completed online or over the telephone. The form takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Alternatively, the Somerset Bowel Service operates from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, please call 01823 213658. The office team will be able to complete the self referral form with you over the telephone.

This service is only available if you are registered with a Bridgwater GP, if you are not registered with a GP visit the NHS website for support in how to register with a GP.

Based on your answers you will be told if you are eligible to complete a poo test (FIT) or not. The Somerset Bowel Service office team will arrange for a poo test to be posted to you or prepared ready for collection from Victoria Park Health and Wellbeing Hub. Please watch the following video which will show you how to complete a poo test and how to return it.

Once your poo sample has been returned then the lab will process it and you will be informed of the result of your poo test via text message. If your results are positive, then we will arrange a follow up call to discuss next steps and arrange for further investigations.