Symptomatic Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Service

  • Web Referral Form

    ***Requests made using this form are still accepted*** This form is intended for requesting Faecal Immunochemical Tests by staff WITHOUT access to GPTR/WCP. If you DO have access to GPTR/WCP – we encourage you to use GPTR/WCP to submit this request.

(Locations which fall within Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf or Hywel Dda Health board should NOT use this form – please refer to local guidance)

*Please note – due to changes to Public Health Wales website, this request form is now operated by Civica. This is a secure platform used throughout NHS Wales. Please complete the form as you did before. All downstream processes are the same, a test kit will be distributed to the patient and results will be visible in the same way as before.

Guidance

The PHW Symptomatic FIT testing service is suitable for adult patients of any age group with signs or symptoms of potential colorectal cancer as defined in the ‘Welsh Health Circular – New Lower Gastrointestinal ‘FIT’ National Optimal Pathway’. Please ensure the patient meets the criteria before making a referral.

 Criteria:

  • FIT should be undertaken in people presenting with signs or symptoms suspicious of colorectal cancer. ACPGBI/BSG advise that a FIT is not required for patients with anal ulceration or anal/rectal mass prior to referral
  • We recommend that patients with an abdominal mass suspicious of malignancy should have a FIT undertaken alongside investigation (e.g. CT abdomen) or suspected cancer referral
  • There is no indication for FIT in people with upper GI symptoms (e.g. dyspepsia)

Please see ‘Welsh Health Circular – New Lower Gastrointestinal ‘FIT’ National Optimal Pathway’ for more information on pathway and safety netting advice. 

For further guidance, please refer to ACPGBI/BSG national guidance and local clinical pathways. 

Information

What happens once you submit the referral:

  • A Symptomatic FIT testing kit is distributed by the Public Health Wales Laboratory within one working day (Mon-Fri), via Royal Mail, to the address entered on the referral form.
  • The patient receives the testing kit, completes the test at home and returns a sample to the PHW Laboratory
  • The sample is received by the PHW Laboratory who test and authorise a result – Results will be available within one working day of sample receipt.

Please note: Results can be accessed via Welsh Clinical Portal (WCP) or GP Links – The Laboratory does NOT send a copy of the result to the patient 

Laboratory Handbook

Testing kit contents:

Contact

For any queries about a Symptomatic FIT referral, please contact:

[email protected]

or 

01443 235131

Symptomatic FIT – Electronic Test Requesting

Symptomatic FIT Electronic Test Requesting is now available in all Health Boards with whom the Public Health Wales Laboratory has a Service Level Agreement:

  • Betsi Cadwalader
  • Cardiff & Vale
  • Swansea Bay
  • Powys* (location dependent – please check with the PHW Laboratory)

Please begin using GPTR OR WCP to request Symptomatic FIT testing kits – Symptomatic FIT will appear as “Faecal Haemoglobin” in GPTR/WCP.

If you are unable to use GPTR/WCP, please inform the PHW laboratory using the contact information above. 

***Please note***: 

DO NOT print/send a paper form to your local Pathology Lab/Department.

  • The PHW Laboratory will extract the request directly from GPTR/WCP. A paper copy of the FIT request may print automatically for you – you do not need to do anything with this paper copy, please dispose of it into confidential waste.

DO NOT provide a specimen container to the patient.

  • The PHW Laboratory will send a FIT testing/collection kit directly to the patient’s address. Only samples collected using one of our collection pickers are suitable for (Symptomatic) FIT testing. 
  • Once the patient receives the test kit – they complete it at home and return their sample directly to the PHW Laboratory to test. 

Results:

  • Results will be available on GPTR/GP links and WCP once authorised. A copy of the results is not sent to the patient.

WCP information

GPTR information