Published on: 7 October 2024
A lifesaving screening programme started as a pilot in Doncaster in 2021, and has since expanded across Bassetlaw, Rotherham, and Barnsley – and now those most at risk of lung cancer will be offered a free NHS Targeted Lung Health Check as the programme launches in Sheffield.
Almost 140,000 people have been invited to take part in the TLHC Programme so far, and an incredible 511 cases of cancer have been found to date, with 402 being lung cancer. What’s more impressive, is that 75% were caught at an early stage and 74% of these patients were suitable for curative treatment.
Dr Jason Page, Clinical Director South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw TLHCs, said:
“The success of the programme so far in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw has undoubtedly saved lives, and now we are starting the work in Sheffield with the intention of saving even more.”
People in Sheffield aged 55 to 74 who smoke or used to smoke and are registered with a Sheffield GP will receive a letter inviting them for a free NHS Lung Health Check.
The TLHC programme will make its way to different areas across the city to identify any lung problems early, enabling earlier cancer diagnoses, and improving lung cancer survival rates.
Sheffield-based GP Dr Maria Read said:
“We are really excited that this service is now in Sheffield. Lung cancer often has very few symptoms until a much later stage, so problems could start before a person notices anything wrong. This simple scanning service will be rolled out in stages across the city, and I am really glad that my patch is going first.
“As local GPs, we are all urging those invited to take up the opportunity of this free, lifesaving screening service. If caught at an earlier stage, treatment can be much simpler and more effective than if people wait until they are unwell. If you receive a letter, please keep your appointment, or contact the service to change it if you cannot make that time. Like those people who have benefitted in our neighbouring cities – be smart and take up this life saving opportunity."
A Targeted Lung Health Check is a two-stage process in which lung health is assessed. A quick, initial phone call will take place to confirm programme eligibility, and then a respiratory nurse will conduct an assessment with the person over the phone.
If the person is deemed to be at a higher risk of developing lung cancer, they will be invited to have a scan that will take a detailed image of their chest and, if a problem is found, they will be referred for treatment.
Not everyone will need a scan, but those that do will be invited to a mobile scanning unit in a convenient location in their local community. The mobile scanning units will be in the Manor area until December and will move to different sites across Sheffield until March 2026.
Dr Page added:
“We want to stress the importance of keeping your appointment when you are invited. If you have received an invite, it is due to your increased risk of developing lung cancer or having other lung conditions, and this is an opportunity to get an early diagnosis and have a much better chance of survival.”
The TLHC Programme is the largest initiative to improve early lung cancer diagnosis in health service history, and the results of the pilot have been so successful that it is set to be a national screening programme by 2029.
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