Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Steve Barclay paid a visit to Nottingham where they announced an extension of a lung cancer screening programme. The pair visited River Green Medical Practice in Clifton and the mobile targeted lung health check unit in Hyson Green on Monday, June 26.
The screening programme is designed to catch cancer sooner or prevent it altogether and will invite people aged 55 to 74 with a GP record including a history of smoking to be assessed. It will cost £270 million annually once fully implemented and is expected to detect as many as 9,000 people with cancer.
Mr Sunak said: “While we focus on cutting waiting lists in the short term, we must also look to tackle some of the long-term challenging facing the NHS, including lung cancer which costs 35,000 lives every year. Rolling out screening to high-risk 55-74 year olds will save lives by detecting up to 9,000 lung cancers a year at an early stage.
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“The NHS has treated record numbers of cancer patients over the last two years, with cancer being diagnosed at an earlier stage more often and survival rates improving across almost all types of cancer. Today’s announcement will help us go further and provide a lifeline to thousands of families across the country”.
The rollout follows an opening phase where approximately 70 per cent of the screening took place in mobile units parked places such as supermarket car parks. Mr Barclay said: “Through our screening programme we are now seeing more diagnoses at stage 1 and stage 2 in the most deprived communities which is both a positive step and a practical example of how we are reducing health inequalities.
“Rolling this out further will prolong lives by catching cancer earlier and reducing the levels of treatment required not just benefiting the patient but others waiting for treatment. I am determined to combat cancer on all fronts through better prevention, detection, treatment and research.”
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