Lung check services have been launched for current and former smokers across four boroughs in west London and southeast London, both involving Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
The west London service, in which Royal Brompton is a lead partner, was visited by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week (28 October). Mr Sunak was shown around one of the programme’s mobile units and introduced to the clinical team by Dr Emily Bartlett, consultant radiologist at Royal Brompton.
“We discussed the importance of early diagnosis of lung cancer and the positive impact on five year survival rates that can be achieved through CT screening of people who currently smoke or who previously smoked,” said Dr Bartlett.
The west London lung health check programme is run by RM Partners West London Cancer Alliance, and provides free lung health checks to eligible patients aged 55-74 in the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, and Sutton.
In southeast London, the Targeted Lung Health Check service for the same profile of patients has also launched, run by the South East London Cancer Alliance and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, initially covering the borough of Southwark.
Lung health checks can detect lung problems such as cancer early on, when they are more treatable. The Cancer Alliances work in partnership with local NHS services, including GP practices and hospitals, to deliver high quality cancer services and improve early diagnosis rates.
To get a lung check, smokers and former smokers are invited via their GP for an initial assessment on the phone with a respiratory nurse. As part of the lung health check, they may be offered a low dose ‘CT scan’ (using x-rays) to look at their lungs. In west London the scans are carried out at the Royal Brompton hospital or in a mobile unit parked at Tesco Yiewsley or Tesco Cheam, and in southeast London at Asda in Old Kent Road.
More information on the west London service can be found on our website and on the Lung Health Check West London service website, and on the southeast London service on the Lung Health Check South East London service website.