Coronavirus (COVID-19): Immunisation and screening

We will send out invites that were due to be issued during the pause as soon as we can. We will prioritise invitations based on clinical need and are unable to give specific timeframes yet.

No. Appointment invitations and reminders will be issued according to clinical priority.

Annual and routine screening of men will resume once NHS Scotland has caught up with the high priority appointments affected by the pause.

We are unable to give specific timeframes yet. Routine screening will resume as soon as NHS Scotland has caught up with the backlog of appointments for those people in greatest need.

You'll be sent an invitation as soon as possible after these high priority service users have been seen.

We’ll continue to take our normal safety measures and will also be following any new guidelines in line with the latest clinical guidance.

You can help keep the risk low by following any instructions given to you when you arrive, as well as general guidance for keeping yourself safe.

Find out more about keeping yourself safe.

If you have any signs of coronavirus (cough, fever or a loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste), please do not go to your appointment.

Phone the number on your invitation letter to change the day of your appointment.

If you think you have coronavirus and would like to check your symptoms, phone 0800 028 2816. Find out more about the symptoms of coronavirus.

Shielding information may change. See the most up-to-date advice on shielding.

Your experience may be slightly different from usual because the local programmes will have additional safety measures in place.

You may be asked to arrive as close to the appointment time as possible and your screener may be wearing PPE.

The ultrasound scan itself, where your screener moves a small scanner over your skin and take measurements of your aorta from an image on a screen, will be exactly the same and should only take a couple of minutes.

You may be asked to wear a face covering during your appointment, in line with national guidance.

A face covering is a piece of cloth that covers your nose and mouth to protect the people around you from coronavirus.

It is important to wash your face covering once you are back home.

Current evidence does not suggest wearing gloves is helpful for the general public.

It is better to wash your hands well and often. You may want to take a hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol to your appointment.

A few days before your appointment, your local screening centre will give you specific instructions about what to do once you arrive.

Some NHS premises are not using waiting rooms at the moment so you may be asked to wait outside the building, sometimes at a specific door and always keeping distance from other people.

If you're asked to do this, your screener will come and collect you for your appointment.

If you are invited to wait inside, your screener will follow government guidance and make sure everyone is spaced apart from each other at an appropriate distance.

Some local programmes are giving longer appointment slots of about 30 minutes. This includes time spent waiting for your appointment and being shown to the examination room.

This allows for additional safety measures to be followed and ensure there aren’t too many people coming in and out of the building at one time. However, the test itself should only take a few minutes.

You will still have time to ask any questions you might have before and after your appointment – your screener is there to support you if you have any concerns.

We do not know how long you might need to wait if you put off your AAA screening appointment as we don’t know when the coronavirus outbreak will end or when the government guidance will change.

You will need to consider this potential delay and your personal situation when making your decision.

Talk with your screening centre about the safety measures they have in place, and any other concerns you might have.

Your local screening programme will have safety measures in place to make this risk as low as possible.

You can help keep the risk low by following any instructions given to you when you arrive, as well as general guidance for keeping yourself safe.

Find out more about keeping yourself safe.

Coronavirus is a respiratory illness, which means it affects the lungs and airways.

It is most commonly spread by droplets from the mouth or nose, when someone coughs or sneezes.

AAA screening is not considered high risk for passing on or getting coronavirus. Your screener should be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to make sure the risk is as low as possible.

You should not go to your appointment if you’re self-isolating. Phone the number on your invitation letter to change the day of your appointment.

If you have a bowel screening test kit which you haven’t used, keep it safe until we re-start the programme. You can then do the test and send it to us.

Please be assured that you’ll receive your invitation when screening re-starts.   

If the amount of blood found in your poo sample is above the normal screening limit, a colonoscopy is required.   This is to find out the cause of bleeding.

Yes, however there may be a delay in your colonoscopy taking place.

Your NHS Board will contact you as soon as possible to fully explain the colonoscopy to you, including how to prepare and the risks involved.

We know a delay to your colonoscopy may cause you considerable anxiety.  Please remember that:

• it’s very unlikely that you have bowel cancer at the moment. Only about 5% of people requiring a colonoscopy have bowel cancer, and in those that do it is usually at a very early stage
•  it’s much more likely that you have a polyp. This is a small growth which is quite harmless in itself, but may develop into cancer in the future if left untreated.  It’s therefore very important to remove polyps
•  it’s highly unlikely that the delay in your colonoscopy will cause any harm.

We’ll ensure that you have your colonoscopy as soon as possible. You’ll receive a letter inviting you for this. 

While the bowel screening programme in Scotland is temporarily paused due to the coronavirus outbreak, it’s important to be symptom aware.

If you notice anything unusual such as blood in your poo, a change in bowel habits or abdominal (tummy) pain, contact your GP practice.

Signs and symptoms of bowel cancer

If you were due an invitation while the breast screening programme was paused you will still receive this, regardless of age.

Please be patient as invitations will be delayed.

You will still receive an invitation and we will contact you when your screening appointment is due. Please be patient as appointment invitations will be delayed for some time as a result of the pause.

If you have already received your invitation, this will contain details of your appointment. Contact the screening centre if this is not suitable or you do not want to attend your appointment.

As phone lines will be busy, email your local screening centre should you have any general enquiries.

Your invitation has been prioritised and you should receive a letter asking you to contact your local screening centre to arrange an appointment.

Contact your local screening centre if you do not receive an invitation.

We cannot offer you a screening appointment at this time. But this will be regularly reviewed.

Appointments have been prioritised for those aged 50-70 who are due screening and those who should have been screened during the pause.

Phone your GP practice if you notice any changes in your breasts (including the area up to your armpit). These may be harmless, but you should get them checked straight away.

Other signs and symptoms of breast cancer

We’ll still have our normal safety measures, as well as adding new ones. You can help keep the risk low by following any instructions given to you, for example about arrival times or whether you should wear a face covering.

If it is not safe for any reason, for example if you are self-isolating, contact your local screening centre to rearrange your appointment.

Your experience at your screening appointment may be slightly different to usual because we will have more infection control measures in place.

You may be asked to arrive as close to the appointment time as possible and the staff will be wearing face masks and other personal protective equipment.

You may be asked to wear a face covering during your appointment, in line with national guidance.

You do not need to wear gloves but should wash your hands well and often. You may be asked to use hand sanitiser before entering the screening centre.

Arrive as close to your appointment time as possible and attend by yourself unless you need a carer or interpreter with you.

You’ll be given instructions about what to do once you arrive at your appointment. You may be asked to wait outside as waiting room space is limited. This will allow you to keep the recommended distance from other people.

If you were due an invitation or reminder while the cervical screening programme was paused you will still receive this and can then contact your GP to book an appointment.

Please be patient as appointment invitations and reminders will be posted from mid-July, with invitations sent to those who receive more frequent (non-routine) cervical screening appointments first.

Routine screening will resume once NHS Scotland has caught up with non-routine appointments affected by the pause.

If you have already received your invitation, you can contact your GP practice to book an appointment. 

It may take some time before your GP surgery can offer you an appointment, as they prepare the practice to keep you and their staff safe.

Please be patient as appointment invitations and reminders will be posted from mid-July, with invitations sent to those who receive more frequent (non-routine) cervical screening appointments first.

Routine screening will resume once NHS Scotland has caught up with non-routine appointments affected by the pause.

Yes. Your GP practice will only offer cervical screening if they are confident they can keep you and their staff safe. Follow any instructions they give you, for example about arrival times or whether they advise you to wear a face covering.

If it is not safe for any reason, for example if you are self-isolating or shielding, your GP practice will explain this and help you make arrangements once it is safe.

Your experience at your GP practice may be slightly different to usual because they will have safety measures in place.

You may be asked to arrive as close to the appointment time as possible and your nurse or doctor may be wearing a mask.

The cervical screening test itself, where your nurse or doctor takes a sample of cells from your cervix, will be exactly the same and should only take a couple of minutes.

You may be asked to wear a face covering during your appointment, in line with national guidance.

A face covering is a piece of cloth that covers your nose and mouth to protect the people around you from coronavirus.

It is important to wash your face covering once you are back home.

Current evidence does not suggest that wearing gloves is helpful for the general public.

It is better to wash your hands well and often, so you may want to take a hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol to your appointment.

Your GP practice should give you specific instructions about what to do once you arrive at your appointment, either when you book or a few days before your appointment.

Some GP practices are not using their waiting rooms at the moment so you may be asked to wait outside the building, sometimes at a specific door and always keeping distance from other people.

If you're asked to do this, your nurse or doctor will come and collect you for your appointment.

If you are invited to wait inside your GP practices, they will follow government guidance and make sure everyone is spaced apart from each other.

You can choose to wait outside – just make sure you let your nurse or doctor know where you are.

Some GP practices are currently allowing for longer appointment slots, usually about 30 minutes, which includes time spent waiting for your appointment and being shown to the examination room.

This longer time means the practice can follow their safety measures and make sure there aren’t too many people coming in and out of the building at once. However, the test itself should only take a few minutes.

You will still have time to ask any questions you want to ask before and after your appointment – your nurse or doctor is there to support you with any concerns.

We don’t know when the coronavirus pandemic will end or the government guidance will change.

If you put off your cervical screening appointment, we can’t say how long you may be waiting for one.

You will need to think about this potential delay and your individual situation when making your decision.

Talk with your nurse or doctor about your situation, the safety measures they have in place, and any other concerns you have.

Your GP practice will have safety measures in place to make this risk as low as possible.

You can help keep the risk low by following any instructions given to you when you arrive, as well as general guidance for keeping yourself safe.

Find out more about keeping yourself safe.

Coronavirus is a respiratory illness, which means it affects the lungs and airways.

It is most commonly spread by droplets from the mouth or nose, when someone coughs or sneezes.

Cervical screening is not considered high risk for passing on or getting coronavirus. Your nurse or doctor should be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to make sure the risk is as low as possible.

You can also keep the risk low by following any instructions your GP practice give you about safety measures.

You can ask if a specific nurse or doctor is available, but be prepared that this may not be possible.

If you would prefer to wait for a specific nurse or doctor before having cervical screening, you can choose to do this.

However, you may be waiting for an appointment for a while, as we don’t know how long the risk and safety measures will last.

We'll send out invites that were due to be issued during the pause as soon as we can.

Invitations are being sent out to those who are most in need.

Appointment invitations and reminders will be send out to those who are most in need

Routine screening will resume once NHS Scotland has caught up with high priority appointments affected by the pause.

We’ll continue to take our normal safety measures and will also be following any new guidelines in line with the latest clinical guidance.

You can help keep the risk low by following any instructions given to you when you arrive, as well as general guidance for keeping yourself safe.

Find out more about keeping yourself safe.

If you have any signs of coronavirus (cough, fever or a loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste), please do not go to your appointment.

Phone the number on your invitation letter to change the day of your appointment.

If you think you have coronavirus and would like to check your symptoms, phone 0800 028 2816. Find out more about the symptoms of coronavirus.

Shielding information may change. See the most up-to-date advice on shielding.

Your experience may be slightly different from usual because the local programmes will have additional safety measures in place.

You may be asked to arrive as close to the appointment time as possible and your screener may be wearing PPE.

The test, involving taking photographs of your retinas, will be exactly the same and should only take a couple of minutes. The camera doesn't come into contact with your eyes.

You may be asked to wear a face covering during your appointment, in line with national guidance.

A face covering is a piece of cloth that covers your nose and mouth to protect the people around you from coronavirus.

It is important to wash your face covering once you are back home.

Current evidence doesn't suggest wearing gloves is helpful for the general public.

It's better to wash your hands well and often. You may want to take a hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol to your appointment.

A few days before your appointment, your local screening centre will give you specific instructions about what to do once you arrive.

Some NHS premises are not using waiting rooms at the moment, so you may be asked to wait outside the building, sometimes at a specific door and always keeping distance from other people.

If you're asked to do this, your screener will come and collect you for your appointment.

If you're invited to wait inside, they'll follow government guidance and make sure everyone is spaced apart from each other.

Some local programmes are allowing for longer appointment slots of about 30 minutes, which includes time spent waiting for your appointment and being shown to the examination room.

This longer time means safety measures can be followed and ensures there aren’t too many people coming in and out of the building at once.

The test itself should only take a few minutes.

You'll still have time to ask any questions before and after your appointment – your screener is there to support you if you have any concerns.

We don't know how long you might need to wait if you put off your DRS appointment, as we don’t know when the coronavirus outbreak will end or when government guidance will change.

You will need to consider this potential delay and your personal situation when making your decision.

Talk with your screening centre about the safety measures they have in place and any other concerns you have.

We don't know how long you might need to wait if you put off your DRS appointment, as we don’t know when the coronavirus outbreak will end or when government guidance will change.

You will need to consider this potential delay and your personal situation when making your decision.

Talk with your screening centre about the safety measures they have in place and any other concerns you have.

Your local screening programme will have safety measures in place to make this risk as low as possible.

You can help keep the risk low by following any instructions given to you when you arrive, as well as general guidance for keeping yourself safe.

Find out more about keeping yourself safe.

Coronavirus is a respiratory illness, which means it affects the lungs and airways.

It's most commonly spread by droplets from the mouth or nose, when someone coughs or sneezes.

DRS is not considered high risk for passing on or getting coronavirus. Your screener should be wearing PPE to make sure the risk is as low as possible.

You should not go to your appointment if you’re self-isolating. Phone the number on your invitation letter to change the day of your appointment.

While the diabetic retinopathy screening programme in Scotland is resuming, it’s important to be symptom aware. If you have diabetes and notice any changes to your sight, contact your GP practice, diabetes specialist or optician.

Signs and symptoms of diabetic retinopathy