Buckfastleigh Medical Centre

01/09/2026

Don’t put your bowel screening kit to one side

Since bowel cancer screening started in England in 2006, it has helped find around 70,000 bowel cancers. It is estimated to save up to 2,400 lives each year.

If you’re aged 50 to 74, you’ll usually receive a screening kit through the post every two years. It only needs one small sample and can be completed at home.

Screening can pick up bowel cancer before you have any symptoms, when it is often easier to treat. It can also find polyps that could become cancer in the future.

So, when your kit arrives, please complete it and send it back. It could save your life.

If you have symptoms that could be bowel cancer, please contact your GP rather than waiting for a screening kit.

More information:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/

26/08/2026

🐾 Today is International Dog Day!

Dogs can support our health and wellbeing in several ways:

🐕 Regular dog walking helps us stay physically active, supporting heart health, mobility and a healthy weight
💚 Companionship can reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation
😊 Spending time with a dog may help reduce stress and improve mood
🌳 Daily walks encourage us to spend time outdoors and connect with nature
👋 Dogs can help us meet and talk to other people in our community
🕒 Caring for a pet can provide routine, purpose and structure to the day

Many of these benefits can also come from sharing our lives with other pets.

Today we’re celebrating the animals who help keep us active, connected and feeling well. We’d love to see a photo of yours! 🐾

August 26 marks International Dog Day, a chance to celebrate our four-legged friends. We want to know what is special about your dog.

25/08/2026

Millions of women in England are to be offered HPV self-testing kits as the new service rolls out from today.

The kits will be offered to those who haven’t attended cervical screening following previous invitations, providing a discreet and convenient way to test for high-risk HPV at home.

➡️ https://www.england.nhs.uk/2026/08/nhs-rolls-out-discreet-home-testing-kits-against-cervical-cancer-for-millions-of-women/

13/08/2026

13/08/2026

As a practice we really support breast screening. With 1 in 8 women being diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, it’s important to detect cancer as early as possible to have the best chance of successful treatment.

All women registered with our practice and aged 50-70 years will be invited for screening every 3 years. Make sure you attend your appointment, which you will receive in the post. Screening saves lives.

https://knowyourlemons.org

07/08/2026

💉 Flu and Covid Clinic 💉

We are now able to book appointments for flu and covid vaccinations. Invitations will reach those who are eligible over the coming weeks.

Please use the booking link in the message, if you can, to book your appointment. If you are unable to, we can book this over the phone but ask that you hold off ringing until after 11am each day so our wonderful reception team are able to manage the morning rush.

05/08/2026

Have you signed up for the NHS App?

You can download the NHS App to a smartphone or tablet from the Apple App Store or Google Play. You can also create an account and access the same services through a web browser on a computer, phone or tablet—there is no need to download anything:

https://www.nhsapp.service.nhs.uk/login

You must be aged 13 or over and registered with a GP surgery in England. You will need an email address and a phone number, and you may be asked to confirm your identity to access your health information.

04/08/2026

🔵 Help shape the future of prostate cancer care

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your experience could help improve diagnosis, treatment and care for men now and in the future.

Prostate Progress is a national research programme bringing together people’s experiences and healthcare information. Participants complete a short online survey every few months and can agree to securely link information from their NHS records. The research could help:

✅ Support earlier and more accurate diagnosis
✅ Identify which treatments work best
✅ Improve the management of side effects
✅ Reduce inequalities in prostate cancer care

Signing up takes just a few minutes and can be completed on a phone, tablet or computer.

Find out more and join Prostate Progress:
https://www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk/prostate-progress/

Join Prostate Progress and help accelerate better diagnostics, treatments and screening for men affected by prostate cancer now and in the future. Your experience will drive research that change.