Lung cancer screening begins across the Borough
The Council are supporting the NHS Integrated Care Board for Hampshire & IOW in their roll out of their Targeted Lung Health Check across county this year.
We urge residents to recognise their GP lung screening letters coming through their doors and follow the instructions provided – 30 minutes could save your life.
Screening is essential in the fight against cancer and detecting the early signs, before symptoms develop, to ensure better outcomes for patients. Sadly, three out of four patients are diagnosed late. The recent Southampton city area rollout has found 82% have successfully been diagnosed with stage 1 or 2 cancers, allowing for earlier and easier removal, less invasive and challenging treatment, and higher chance of the ‘all clear’ and better quality of life.
The process:
- Residents aged 55-74 years-old who are current or ex-smokers will be contacted for screening by a letter in the post
- A phone call or meeting with a health professional will be arranged to discuss your breathing, overall lung health, lifestyle and family and medical history
- For those deemed at high risk will be invited to a CT scan.
There will be multiple locations for CT scans at local hospitals and a mobile scanner unit to be situated at central sites across Hampshire and within Eastleigh Borough.
Lung screening will eventually be UK-wide and work alongside other existing screening programmes such as breast and cervical cancer.
This new programme is managed and funded by NHS England with local management through the Wessex Cancer Alliance whose funding is based on the number of outputs of lung health checks and CT scans completed.
Please be aware that the NHS boundaries split the Borough into north and south. The roll-out for the south (University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust) has already begun, residents in the north (through Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) will be contacted later in the year.
Residents in the south of the Borough who are patients for the following GP surgeries are already being contacted by post
Hedge End, West End and Botley
- Hedge End Surgery
- St Luke's Practice
- West End Road Surgery
- Chartwell Green Surgery
- Botley Surgery
Bursledon, Hamble and Hound
- Blackthorn Health Surgery
If you haven’t a letter and believe you are eligible, please call the Target Lung team on 023 8120 8883
Patients of all other GP surgeries located within Borough Council boundary will be contacted in the spring/summer of this year