A Lung Health Check is an MOT for your lungs and will check that they are working as they should be. The Targeted Lung Health Check programme aims to improve early diagnosis and survival rates for lung cancer by providing quick and easy screenings for people at higher risk of lung conditions. We want as many people as possible to attend their Lung Health Check. 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 community venues, such as supermarket car parks with good transport links for ease of access.

If you’ve received a Lung Health Check invitation letter from your GP, 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 problems such as lung cancer are spotted early, treatment could be simpler and more effective. Alternatively, the Lung Health Check may tell you that your lungs are healthy and functioning well, in which case we will advise you on ways to keep healthy.

You must be:

• Aged 55 – 74
• A smoker or have ever smoked (more than 100 cigarettes in a lifetime)

For SWAG Cancer Alliance’s programme, you must also be living in:

• Central Gloucester
• Bridgwater
• West Bath
• North Bristol
• Central Bristol
• South Bristol

And registered with one of the following GP Practices:

South Bristol

• Merrywood
• Crest Family
• Hillview
• Hartwood
• Lennard Surgery
• Grange Road
• Armada
• Bedminster Family Practice
• Central Bristol
• Montpelier Health Centre
• East Trees Health Centre
• Wellspring Surgery
• Broadmead Medical Centre
• Lawrence Hill Health Centre
• Homeless Health
• Charlotte Keel Medical Practice

North Bristol

• Southmead & Henbury Family Practice
• Pioneer Medical Group
• Shirehampton Group Practice

Bridgwater

• Cranleigh Gardens Medical Centre
• Somerset Bridge Medical Centre
• Redgate Medical Centre
• East Quay Medical Centre
• Taunton Road Medical Centre
• North Petherton Surgery
• Cannington Health Centre
• Polden Medical Practice
• Quantock Medical Practice

Inner City Gloucestershire

• Partners in Health
• Gloucester City Health Centre
• Gloucester Health Access Centre
• Kingsholm Surgery

West Bath

• St Michael’s Surgery
• Rush Hill Surgery
• Heart of Bath Practice

These areas have been selected using a range of indicators, including lung cancer incidence and deprivation indexes, to make sure the Lung Health Checks are delivered to people who will benefit the most from them. We know that there will be people who live outside of these areas who may benefit from a Lung Health Check, and we hope to be able to offer the service to them within a few years.

You will receive a letter through the post with an appointment for your telephone Lung Health Check. If the timing of the appointment does not suit you, you can ring up and change it. We will remind you of the appointment 72 and 24 hours before via text message.

You will receive a letter through the post with an appointment for your telephone Lung Health Check. If the timing of the appointment does not suit you, you can ring up and change it. We will remind you of the appointment 72 and 24 hours before via text message.

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 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.

There are 43 sites around England. Across the 43 sites, it is expected that up to 1.5m people will be invited for a check.

Data from the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme so far shows that with these potentially life-saving checks, lung cancer early diagnosis rates can be as high as 80% - compared to less than 30% without this type of intervention – enabling doctors to treat cases sooner, when curative treatment is more possible, saving more lives.

The NHS are looking at the evidence from these sites and considering plans for further rollout across the country by 2024/2025.

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.

Face-to-face nurse appointment

This will take place at a mobile unit parked up within a convenient community location such as a supermarket or football club car park.

The nurse may take your height and weight, check your blood pressure and test your breathing. If you are a current smoker, you will also have a discussion around smoking cessation.

You may also have a low-dose CT scan.

The 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 need to take a second look, 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 you 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 chosen areas have been selected using a range of indicators, including lung cancer incidence and deprivation indexes, to make sure the Lung Health Checks are delivered to people who will benefit the most from them. We know that there will be people who live outside of these areas who may benefit from a Lung Health Check, and we hope to be able to offer the service to them within a 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.

Within two weeks of your scan, you will receive an outcome letter explaining what your CT scan showed. This will include information around 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 a minor nodule is found, you may be asked to return for further scans at 3,6,12 or 24 months. If a nothing significant is found, you will be asked to return for a further scan 24 months later to confirm all is well. Your outcome letter will acknowledge 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 (more than 100 cigarettes)

For this programme - you need to be living in central Gloucester (GL1), Bridgwater, West Bath (BA2), North Bristol (BS10, BS11), South Bristol (multiple) or central Bristol (multiple) and be registered with the following GP practices:

This is a pilot programme with a funding for a specific number of lung health checks. The identified practices have been selected using a range of indicators, including lung cancer incidence and deprivation indexes, to make sure the Lung Health Checks are delivered to people who will benefit the most from them.

We know that there will be people who live outside of these areas who may benefit from a Lung Health Check, and we are hoping to be able to offer Lung Health Checks to everyone who meets these criteria across Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire in the next few years. So, if you are not invited initially, hopefully you will be soon.

If you are not invited, there are several things you can do to look after your lung health in the meantime. If you notice any of the following symptoms, 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

If you would like more information about looking after your lungs please see the ‘I’m not eligible for a lung health check but I’m interested in keeping my lungs healthy’ section of our website: https://swaglunghealthcheck.nhs.uk