Mobile health clinic arrives in Wigan for lung health checks for smokers aged 55-74 years
A mobile health clinic on wheels will be stationed in the car park at the rear of B&M Bargains near to Robin Park Leisure Centre and Arena in Loire Drive, Newtown, Wigan, from mid-March and will house consultation rooms and a CT scanner. The clinic will operate six days a week from Monday to Saturday, at 8am - 8pm, to ensure that appointments are accessible for everyone who is invited.
Your GP will send letters to smokers and former smokers who are aged between 55 and 74-years-old, in the central Wigan area.
The GP practices where patients are eligible for the Lung Health Check are Dicconson Group practice, Longshoot, Sullivan Way, Marsh Green, Pemberton, Newtown, Bradshaw Street, Dr Seabrook and Mesnes View Surgery all in the Wigan Central Primary Care Network. Other practices in the Wigan area will be targeted at a later date.
The new clinic checks are the latest phase of the Greater Manchester Targeted Lung Health Check Programme, which is helping to improve the earlier diagnosis of lung cancer to save more lives. It is a jointly organised programme by Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
What to expect
If you are invited for a lung health check, you will firstly talk to a specialist nurse who will ask some health and lifestyle questions to determine whether you are ‘high’ or ‘low’ risk. If considered high risk, you will be offered a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan of your lungs for further investigation on the same day and be enrolled into the programme.
The Lung Health Checks can give many people peace of mind, by finding out that all is OK. Others can be referred to get help to stop them smoking.
Dr Liam Hosie, a Wigan borough GP“If you are a past or current smoker, it is very important to take up your invitation for a lung health check when your GP contacts you. It really can help to save lives.”
The mobile truck has already visited Hindley and Leigh in Wigan. If you received an invitation but missed your appointment, please call 0161 529 0900 to re-book. Greater Manchester has one of the highest mortality rates for lung cancer in England and the Lung Health Checks have already been operating in parts of Greater Manchester, including North Manchester, Salford and Tameside. Further plans are in place to expand the programme in coming years, to ensure that everyone who is eligible is invited.
As a result of the Lung Health Checks in Greater Manchester, 450 patients have so far been diagnosed with lung cancer. However, almost 80% of these patients were diagnosed at stage one or two, which means they were more likely to be eligible for curative treatment.
If you are diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stage, you are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught later.
As there are rarely symptoms at earlier stages, lung cancer can often be caught too late. The programme has been designed to check those who are most at risk of developing lung cancer, in order to spot signs at the earlier stage when it is much more treatable – and ultimately save more lives.
For more information on the Targeted Lung Health Check programme please visit the website.
If you have symptoms which concern you, please speak to your GP who will be able to refer you for tests if needed. Read more about symptoms of lung cancer here Lung cancer - Symptoms - NHS (www.nhs.uk)