Lung Health Checks Explained

Targeted lung health checks are a simple check up to see how well your lungs are working. They are currently available in selected areas of England for people aged 55-74 years old who have ever smoked and registered with a participating GP practice in the area.

We like to think of these health checks as an MOT for your lungs. We get our cars checked every year to make sure everything is ok. Our lungs work hard every minute of our lives so it makes sense to do the same for ourselves. Most people who attend an appointment feel very reassured.

Where are the lung health checks

There are 23 areas in England currently offering lung health checks. Click on the area for more information about each specific programme:

• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Bradford with Craven
• Corby
• Coventry and Rugby
• Doncaster
• Halton
• Hammersmith and Fulham
• Hillingdon
• Hull
• Knowsley
• Liverpool
• Luton
• Manchester
• Mansfield and Ashfield
• Newcastle Gateshead
• North Kirklees
• Salford
• Southampton
• Stoke-on-Trent
• South West London
• Sutton
• Tameside and Glossop
• Thurrock.

There following areas are set to roll out a lung health check programme during the course of the year.

• Barnsley
• Bassetlaw
• Birmingham and Solihull
• Brighton & Hove and Hastings
• Dorset
• East Kent
• Great Yarmouth
• Kernow
• North Central London
• North East Essex
• North East Lincolnshire
• North East London
• North Lincolnshire
• Nottingham
• Portsmouth
• Rotherham
• Sandwell and West Birmingham
• Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucester
• Southend-on-Sea
• South East London
• South Sefton
• South Tyneside
• St Helens
• Sunderland
• Swindon
• Tees Valley.

There are currently no lung health checks in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, we are working hard to change this.

Your lung health check appointment

If you are eligible for a lung health check, you will receive a letter from either your GP or the NHS inviting you for an appointment.

The programmes are gradually inviting eligible patients for a lung check – either region by region or by age – so if you are eligible and haven’t received an invitation, don’t worry. It may just be that your local lung health check hasn’t reached your area or age bracket yet. You can contact your GP practice for further clarification.

In some locations, an appointment is automatically made for you while in others you will need to call and book the appointment yourself.

You should attend a lung health check even if you feel well, have no respiratory symptoms or have not smoked for many years.

You will have an appointment with a lung health check nurse who will ask you some questions about:

• Your breathing
• Your overall lung health
• Your smoking history
• Any potential symptoms you may be experiencing, and
• Your general health.

The nurse appointments are mainly over the phone or by video consultation. Some programmes however, are offering face-to-face appointments again. The appointment will take between 30 and 45 minutes.

During the appointment, you will get the chance to ask any questions and discuss ways you can improve your overall lung health. If you are still smoking and would like some advice about quitting, the nurse can help with that too.

The nurse may also talk to you about having a low dose CT scan to check for any early signs of lung cancer. It is very common to be invited for a CT scan through these programmes and is no cause for concern.

One of the main aims of lung health checks is to diagnose lung cancer at the earliest opportunity, before any symptoms have occurred, so they are ultra cautious. A large proportion of those who attend a lung health check will be invited for a CT scan. The majority of those who have a scan will not have lung cancer.

If you are invited for a scan, it is done in either a mobile scanning unit in your local community, or a local hospital.

Is lung cancer screening right for me?

A CT scan is a type of x-ray, but it involves more radiation than a standard chest x-ray and shows more detailed pictures. It is used to check for any signs of lung cancer and lung disease.

It is a quick and painless procedure. There is no need to prepare in any way such as fast or have any injection. You don’t have to have the scan if you don’t want to. However, if you do have lung cancer, the earlier it is caught the better. If it’s caught early, it can be cured.

This video provides some more information about low dose CT scans:

Early detection saves lives

The majority people who have a lung health check will not have lung cancer. For those who do have, lung health checks can help speed up diagnosis and increase your treatment options, including curative-intent treatment. This was the case for Jo and Harry.

Frequently Asked Questions