A Lung Health Check is an MOT for your lungs. It aims to check that everything is working as it should be. One of the things we are looking for is small tumours in the lung that people may not be aware of. In this way, the Targeted Lung Health Check programme aims to improve early diagnosis and survival rates for lung cancer by providing quick and easy screening for people at higher risk of lung conditions.

The Lung Health Check takes part in two stages. The first is a telephone appointment to assess your risk level. If you are found to be at higher risk, you will be invited to have a face-to-face appointment with a nurse and a low dose CT scan (the second stage). The CT will take pictures of your lungs and show us if there are any issues which need further tests or treatment.

The first part of the Lung Health Check will be a telephone appointment. If you are found to be at higher risk, you will then be invited to have a face-to-face appointment, this will take place in one of our mobile units. The mobile units will be parked in a community venue near where you live with good transport links for ease of access, for example a supermarket car park.

If you’ve received a Lung Health Check invitation letter, it is because you meet the criteria for an initial appointment. It is important that you attend your Lung Health Check, as it could spot any problems with your lungs before you know they’re there. If a problem such as lung cancer is spotted early, treatment could be simpler and more effective. For most people, however, the Lung Health Check is reassuring and confirms that your lungs are healthy and functioning well. If this is the case we advise you on ways to keep your lungs healthy in future.

You must be:

• Aged 55 – 74
• A smoker or have ever smoked

We will be offering the lung health checks to all eligible people over the next few years. You can learn more about our schedule in Who is Eligible? You can also check the Looking after you lungs to learn more about signs and symptoms to look out for and things you can do to keep you lungs healthy.

You will receive a letter through the post about your telephone Lung Health Check. If the timing of the appointment does not suit you, you can ring up and change it.

There are a number of reasons why someone might not be offered a low dose CT scan and these include:

• They are at lower risk of lung disease, and so the scan is not necessary
• They have had a CT scan of their chest in the previous 12 months and so do not need another one
• They are unable to lie flat
• They are unable to transfer onto the CT scanning bed
• They weigh more than 200kg/31.5 stones
• They are not physically strong enough to proceed with tests and treatment if a serious lung condition if found, or they have other medical conditions that make further tests and treatment impossible.
• They do not have capacity to consent to the CT scan and it is not in their best interests to have one.

The aim is to invite everyone who is eligible in our region within the next 6 years. Lung Health checks are currently being delivered by around 50 sites across England ( I can double check the number of sites with NHS England).

In October 2022, the UK National Screening Committee recommended that targeted screening for lung cancer should become a national programme like breast screening. This means that all eligible people would be invited to have a lung health check every two years or so. We are working with NHS England and our local hospitals and GP practices to expand our current programme to include everyone who is eligible. We think it will take us about 6 years to reach the full target, with a steady increase in capacity each year.

Small lung cancers often causes no symptoms, and people can be unaware they have one. Once a lung tumour has become large enough to cause symptoms, there are often fewer effective treatment options. Targeted Lung Health Checks can help diagnose lung cancer early, when tumours are small, and treatment is more likely to be successful. As a result, Lung Health Checks can stop people dying of lung cancer.

The telephone assessment is an appointment to assess your lung health and overall risk level. You will be asked questions about your breathing, any symptoms you may have, lifestyle, and family and medical history. You will be asked to tell us your height and weight.

If you are considered to be high-risk, you will be booked into a face-to-face appointment and CT scan at one of our mobile units. If you are not considered high risk, you will be offered advice about keeping your lung healthy in future and given some information about lung health. We will let your GP know that you have had a Lung Health Check and the result.

Consultation with nurse

Your appointment will take place at a mobile unit parked up at a convenient community location, such as a supermarket, leisure centre or football club car park.

The nurse will take your height and weight, check your blood pressure and test your breathing. If you are a current smoker, you will also be offered support to quit smoking, if this is something you wish to consider.

You may also have a low-dose CT scan.

CT scan

A low-dose CT scanner will take a detailed picture of your lungs, to check for early signs of lung cancer and other lung conditions.

In the unlikely case that we find something requiring immediate action, you will be contacted via telephone within a week of your scan.

If we need to take a second look, you will receive an outcome letter within four weeks explaining what your initial CT scan showed and inviting you to a further scan 3 or 12 months later.

If you nothing significant is found, you will be told via letter within four weeks of your scan. You will be asked to return for a further scan 24 months later to confirm all is well. You will receive a separate invitation to this closer to the date of the scan.

We will write to your GP so they know about the outcome.

Please wait four weeks to hear from our team. If you haven’t heard after this time, please contact our bookings team on 0117 233 8127 or email: swag.lunghealthcheck@nhs.net

You may need to remove your coat, but you can leave your clothing on. If you are a woman, we advise you wear a non-wired bra.

Yes, you can bring someone along with you to the appointment. But please keep his to just one person where possible since waiting space at the scanning unit is limited.

If you have a carer or need an interpreter, then you can have them with you. People who are hard of hearing or for whom English is not a first language will be provided with an interpreter as required. These appointments will be booked as double slots to allow enough time for discussion. Please let us know if you have any additional needs at the time of booking the face-to-face appointment and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire (SWAG) Alliance has been selected as part of Phase 3 of NHS England and Improvement’s Targeted Lung Health Check programme. The money for this is coming from NHS England.

The patient booklet and invitation letters have been translated into a range of languages. Go to the ‘Participant resources’ area.

Our team should be made aware of your first language, and you should receive and invitation letter in this language. We will ensure that your initial assessment takes place at a face-to-face appointment and is booked for a double slot, so that you have longer for your appointment and can provide you with an interpreter.

Our team should be aware of this from your GP record and able to book you straight in for a face-to-face appointment. If you receive a letter inviting you for a telephone appointment, it could be because your GP record is not up to date.

Please make our team aware of your preferred language calling 0117 233 8127 or emailing swag.lunghealthcheck@nhs.net.

In the unlikely case that we find something requiring immediate action, you will be contacted via telephone within a week of your scan.

If we find something that needs monitoring, you will receive an outcome letter within two weeks explaining what your initial CT scan showed and inviting you to a further scan 3 or 12 months later.

If nothing significant is found, you will be told via letter within a month of your scan. You will be asked to return for a further scan 24 months later to confirm all is well. You will receive a separate invitation to this closer to the date of the scan.

We will write to your GP so they know about the outcome.

Please wait four weeks to hear from our team. If you haven’t heard after this time, please contact our bookings team on: 0117 233 8127 or email: swag.lunghealthcheck@nhs.net

The Targeted Lung Health Check is currently being offered to those most at risk of lung problems. Data shows those between the age of 55 and 74 who currently or previously smoked are at a higher risk and are the most likely to benefit from a Lung Health Check. Younger people and never smokers are less likely to benefit.

If you have any symptoms or are concerned about your lung health, you should book an appointment to see your GP straight away.

The Lung Health Checks will be offered to all eligible patients within the next few years. We have chosen the areas we will rotate through using a range of indicators, including lung cancer rates and other markers of risk to make sure the Lung Health Checks are delivered first to people who will benefit the most from them. We will update the future sites list regularly to give you the most up to date schedule. We aim to make the service available to all eligible people in the next few years.

In the meantime, please see the I’m not eligible for a lung health check, but I am interested in keeping my lung healthy section for support around keeping your lungs healthy and symptoms to look out for.

You will receive an outcome letter explaining what your CT scan showed within four weeks of having your scan. The letter will include information about what was found, what it means for you and next steps. A report of this finding will also be sent to your GP practice.

If your scan is normal, you will be asked to return for your next routine scan in 2 years’ time.

 

If something minor is found, for example a small spot or “nodule”, you may be asked to return for further scans at 3,6,12 or 24 months.

Your outcome letter will explain this and you will receive a separate invitation letter to that follow-up scan nearer to the time. This will look similar to the original letter you received, including details about the pre-booked appointment and how to change the appointment if needed.

In the unlikely case we find something that requires immediate action, we will contact you via telephone within days of your scan.

 

Please wait four weeks to hear from our team. If you haven’t heard after this time, please contact our bookings team: 0117 233 8127

If you notice any of the following and have tested negative for COVID-19, please contact your GP as soon as possible.

• Unexplained persistent cough
• Unexplained persistent breathlessness
• Fatigue lasting four or more weeks
• Persistent or recurrent chest infection
• Unexplained weight loss
• Appetite loss

See the I’m not eligible for a lung health check, but I am interested in keeping my lung healthy section for more support on keeping your lungs healthy.

Our team should be made aware of any additional requirements via your GP Practice. If you feel this has not been considered, or would like to inform us of a requirement directly, please get in touch with the bookings team at: 0117 233 8127 or email: swag.lunghealthcheck@nhs.net.

There are adjustments we can make so that you can access the service and feel comfortable, for example:

If you are hard of hearing or English is not your first or preferred language, we will ensure that your initial assessment takes place at a face-to-face appointment and is booked for a double slot, so that you have longer for your appointment and you are able to bring someone with you to your appointment. We can also provide you with a British Sign Language interpreter and/or translator if this is desired.

Our team should be aware of this from your GP record and able to book you straight in for a face-to-face appointment. If you receive a letter inviting you for a telephone appointment, it could be because your GP record is not up to date. Please make our team aware of your preferred language calling 0117 233 8127 or emailing swag.lunghealthcheck@nhs.net.

To be eligible for this programme, you must be:

• Aged 55 - 74
• A smoker or have ever smoked

The Lung Health Checks will be offered to all eligible patients within the next few years. We have chosen the initial areas to deliver the service in based on a number of factors, including lung cancer rates and other markers of risk. This is to make sure the Lung Health Checks are first delivered to people who will benefit from them the most. We will update the future sites list regularly to give you the most up to date schedule. We aim to offer the service to all eligible patients in the next few years.

In the meantime, please see the ‘I’m not eligible for a lung health check but I’m interested in keeping my lungs healthy’ section for support around keeping your lungs healthy and symptoms to look out for.: https://swaglunghealthcheck.nhs.uk