Breast, cervical, bowel and diabetic eye screening: who can get it free

Who is eligible for Ireland's four free screening programmes, how often you are invited, how to check you are on the register, how many people take part, and what happens if a result is not normal.

More people can now get free bowel screening than ever before. Since 1 April 2026, BowelScreen covers everyone aged 57 to 71, adding about 116,000 people. Yet fewer than half of those invited do the home test.

Screening means testing people who feel well, to find early signs of disease before symptoms start. Ireland's National Screening Service runs four free programmes.

The four programmes at a glance

BreastCheck: a mammogram every 2 years

BreastCheck offers a free mammogram, an X-ray of the breast, to women aged 50 to 69. This includes some trans, non-binary and intersex people. Your first invitation comes between 50 and 52, then about every 2 years.

From age 50, you can check online that you are on the register and that your contact details are right. Two radiologists check each X-ray. Results arrive by post in about 3 weeks.

If you are called back, you may have another mammogram, an ultrasound, a breast examination or a biopsy. A biopsy takes a small sample of cells to check under a microscope. Biopsy results usually come about a week later.

CervicalCheck: an HPV test

Cervical screening checks for HPV (human papillomavirus), a virus that can cause cervical cancer. The sample is tested for 14 high-risk types. It is free for women and anyone with a cervix aged 25 to 65.

You do not need to wait for a letter. Book with a GP or clinic registered with CervicalCheck. From 25, you can check online when your next test is due.

• HPV not found: next test in 3 or 5 years, depending on age
• HPV found, no abnormal cells: a free repeat test in 12 months
• HPV found with abnormal cells: you are referred for a colposcopy
• Sample could not be read: repeat after at least 3 months

A colposcopy is a closer look at the cervix. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Results of a screening test take 2 to 4 weeks.

“Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers we have.”— Prof Nóirín Russell, CervicalCheck, January 2026

BowelScreen: a free test you do at home

BowelScreen posts you a free home test kit. You take a small sample of poo, put it in a tube and post it back. The lab checks it for tiny traces of blood.

You must be on the register first. Your first test is offered between your 57th and 59th birthday. After that, a new kit comes every 2 years without you asking.

A colonoscopy uses a thin tube with a camera to look inside the bowel. It is done at one of 16 hospital units. Polyps, small growths that can turn into cancer over time, are usually removed during it.

Diabetic RetinaScreen: an eye check

Diabetic RetinaScreen checks the back of the eye for damage caused by diabetes, called retinopathy. It is free for anyone aged 12 or over with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Under-16s must come with a parent or guardian.

Screening is usually once a year. If no retinopathy was found at your last 2 screenings, the next one is in 2 years. If changes are found, you are referred to a free hospital treatment clinic.

Eye drops widen your pupils for the photos. Your sight may be blurry for 4 to 6 hours, so do not drive yourself home.

How many people take part

Each programme has a quality standard for uptake: the share of people invited who get screened. In late 2025, BreastCheck beat its standard. The other three were below theirs.

BreastCheck screened 173,443 women and Diabetic RetinaScreen screened 156,404 people in 2025. All 2025 figures are preliminary.

How to check you are on the register

1. Go to the screening section of hse.ie and choose the programme.
2. Enter your details to check the register. BreastCheck checks open from 50, CervicalCheck from 25.
3. If you are missing, join the register or update your address.
4. For BowelScreen, request your kit online, on freephone 1800 45 45 55, or by email to info@bowelscreen.ie.
5. For Diabetic RetinaScreen, ask your GP to register you, or fill in the online form and have your GP sign it.