Tameside and Glossop Lung Health Checks
Past and current smokers in Tameside and Glossop are being invited to an NHS lung health check in a drive to improve earlier diagnosis of lung cancer and save more lives.
With one of the highest mortality rates for lung cancer in England, Tameside and Glossop is one of 23 places across the country to run the Targeted Lung Health Check programme.
GP letters will be sent to households as part of a new screening project, jointly organised by Tameside and Glossop CCG and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT).
The initiative means more than 58,000 people aged 55 to 74 in the area will be invited to a lung health check by their GP, and over 65% will be eligible for an appointment. Over two years, this will identify an estimated 400 cases of lung cancer earlier than otherwise would have been.
The lung health check takes place in two stages:
- The first is an initial assessment with a specially trained health care professional.
- If the assessment finds the person to be at high risk, they are offered a low dose CT scan of the lungs for further investigation.
The scanner is housed in a mobile unit and is being taken to accessible areas across Tameside and Glossop. Lung health checks will take place over a two-year period starting in July, and patients will be contacted in groups depending on which GP practice they are registered with.
Lung cancer can often be caught too late as there are rarely symptoms at the earlier stages. The programme is designed to check those most at risk of developing lung cancer in order to spot signs earlier, at the stage when it’s much more treatable and ultimately saving more lives.
The Targeted Lung Health Check programme estimates it will diagnose around 6,000 cancers earlier than would otherwise have been within the 23 places it is currently established. This offers the opportunity for more and earlier interventions, including curative surgery, which will save people’s lives. Stop smoking advice will also be available to support current smokers.
For more information on the Targeted Lung Health Check programme please call 0161 529 0900
The mobile CT scanner will be at the following location from the beginning of July 2022:
Asda car park, Greenfield St, Hyde, SK14 1BD – Click to view map
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