Lung MOTs come to central Wigan

Dr Liam Hosie, a Wigan borough GP, said:

“If you’re registered with a doctor in the Central Wigan Primary Care Network and fit into this category, you’ll be sent an invite through the post.

“Please do come along for your appointment. You’ll have a chat with a nurse and fill out a questionnaire to look at your risk. About half of the people who visit may also need a low-dose scan which we will also do on the truck.

“It will most likely offer you some reassurance. But it could save your life!

“Our Lung Health Checks help the NHS to spot any lung cancer symptoms earlier, when it is much more treatable.”

Patients who are invited for a lung health check will firstly talk to specialist nurse where they will answer some health and lifestyle questions which will determine whether they are ‘high’ or ‘low’ risk. If deemed high risk, they will be offered a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan of their lungs for further investigation on the same day and be enrolled into the programme.

Most visitors to the Lung Health Checks will get reassurance that everything is OK or be referred to get help to stop smoking.

The Lung Health Check trucks have already been stationed in Hindley between November and January where more than 3102 people had a check and in Leigh from January this year where many more people have accessed the service.

Sue Edwards, 71, from Leigh, recently attended a lung health check and said she would encourage others to go along.

Sue said: “I had my scan in Leigh just before 6:30pm. I was met by the four ladies who all seemed really nice.

“One lady then took me into a room and we went over some questions about my smoking history and whether any of my relatives had been affected by lung cancer. I had stopped smoking in 2008 and had a couple of relatives who had been affected by lung cancer.

“They then offered me a CT scan onboard the truck which I did. It’s only a small tube and you don’t go all the way inside just as far as your neck. It only took a few minutes. There’s nothing to it!

“Afterwards I got a letter to tell me they’d found a nodule in my lung so I’ll be going back to the truck for another scan in three months time to keep an eye on it. I’m glad I went for the scan as otherwise I wouldn’t have known. It’s better to know than not know as now they can keep an eye on me. We all put lots into our life so we should take something back when we are offered.”

The new checks are the latest phase of the Greater Manchester Targeted Lung Health Check Programme – a drive to help improve earlier diagnosis of lung cancer and save more lives. The programme is jointly organised by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

Greater Manchester has one of the highest mortality rates for lung cancer in England. The Lung Health Checks are also operating in other parts of Greater Manchester including North Manchester, Salford and Tameside. There are further plans to expand the programme in the coming years to ensure that all eligible participants are invited.

So far more than 500 patients have been diagnosed with lung cancer as a result of the Lung Health Checks in Greater Manchester, however, almost 80% of these patients were diagnosed at stage 1 or 2 meaning they were more likely to be eligible for curative treatment.

People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stage are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late.

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 Department for Health and Social Care has predicted that rolling out screening to high-risk 55 to 74 year olds will save lives by detecting up to 9,000 lung cancers a year at an early stage across England.

Patients will be contacted by letter by their GP.