The national Lung Cancer Screening programme has now launched in Bedford Borough and residents aged between 55 and 74 who smoke, or used to smoke, are being invited to have a free lung health check.
Letters are being sent out via GP surgeries to all those who are eligible, inviting them to take part in the screening, or to opt-out if they wish.
The initial check will be done on the telephone, and then followed up if necessary with a face to face appointment, and then if advised, a CT scan in a mobile unit in Bedford.
The national Lung Cancer Screening programme – formerly known as the Targeted Lung Health Check – was launched as a pilot in 2021 and Bedfordshire was chosen to take part in this because of our poor outcomes for diagnosis and lung cancer survival. It was then rolled out two years ago nationally.
The aim of the screening is to catch cancer at an early stage when it is still treatable.
A total of 34,634 letters were sent to patients across 38 GP surgeries in Luton and Central Bedfordshire.
13,014 patients engaged with the service and participated in a lung health check, of whom 5,565 went on to have a low dose CT scan.
In total, 41 cancers were identified.
For more information on the Lung Cancer Screening Programme visit the NHS website.