Wickford residents to benefit from lung cancer screening programme
Residents in Wickford can now benefit from FREE NHS lung health checks, potentially saving lives by detecting cancer sooner.
Lung health checks can detect lung cancers and other lung conditions before there are recognisable symptoms. This will allow people to receive treatment much earlier than they would have had before, improving outcomes and saving lives.
The Targeted Lung Health Checks programme offers free check-ups for smokers and ex-smokers aged between 55 and 74. Wickford residents who are registered as smokers or ex-smokers on their GP record will be receiving an invite over the coming weeks.
Dr Donald McGeachy, Cancer Alliance Lead for the programme said: “The symptoms of lung cancer are easy to confuse with other conditions or miss altogether. What’s worse is that many people aren’t sure what the symptoms are. Both of these factors contribute to lung cancer often being diagnosed at a later stage”.
Wickford is the latest area to receive NHS Targeted Lung Health Checks, a programme aimed at improving lung cancer outcomes.
“We know that if people are treated earlier, they have a good chance in living a longer and healthier live. That’s why these lung health checks are so important. If you are invited, make sure you get in contact with the lung checks team.”
In mid and south Essex, over 150 cancers have been detected via the programme so far, most in the earlier stages.
Residents who think they are eligible should make sure that their GP record is up-to-date and records their smoking history.
The lung health checks involve an initial phone call with a nurse. People that are deemed to be high risk will then be offered a low dose CT scan.
For more information about the programme please call 0300 300 1557 or visit https://eoelunghealthcheck.nhs.uk
Smokers and ex-smokers aged between 55 and 74 across Basildon will be invited to have an initial assessment with a nurse via phone. Anyone that is deemed high risk will then be offered a CT scan at a convenient location. The checks may also identify other potentially serious conditions, in which case patients will be referred to the most appropriate place for support and care.