Publish date: 25 July 2023
More people across St Helens are being given the chance to have a free life-saving lung health check – which can find cancer earlier when it can be treated more easily.
People in St Helens are some of the first in the country to be able to have NHS lung checks – which are now set to roll out across the country – and new appointments have been sent out to eligible people in the borough.
Those eligible who are aged 55 to 74 with a history of smoking and who live in Moss Bank, Rainford, Windle, Eccleston, West Park, Thatto Heath and Rainhill are being given appointments for a Targeted Lung Health Check.
People are given an appointment with a lung health nurse, and those considered to have a higher risk of cancer are offered a low dose CT scan in a mobile truck. This scan is far more accurate at picking up cancer than a standard X-ray.
The Government recently announced that lung health checks have been so successful at finding cancer and other problems in their earliest stages that they will eventually be offered to everyone at risk in England. The programme also offers help and advice on how best to quit smoking for those who are ready to make the change.
The checks have been rolling out in St Helens since November last year in an initiative which has been co-ordinated by Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance. The checks are also being offered in Liverpool, Knowsley, Halton and south Sefton.
Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer, claiming the lives of more people than breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers combined. It is a particular issue in St Helens, where the number of people developing the disease is well above the national average.
Dr Chris Warburton, Medical Director at Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said: “The main aim of these checks is to find cancer at the earliest opportunity before there may even be any symptoms, so, just as you would go for a breast screening or send off your bowel screening kit, we now want you to have your lungs checked. For the majority of those who attend, everything will be fine, while for those who do have something wrong, catching it early can make all the difference.”
For more information about the Targeted Lung Health Check programme, visit: https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/lung-health-check