Mobile lung screening bring cutting edge clinics to neighbourhoods across Gloucestershire
More than 1,100 people taking part in life-saving checks
An innovative lung health screening project in Gloucestershire is bringing life-saving checks directly into local communities.
Shoppers at Tesco in St Oswald’s, Gloucester, may have noticed the large InHealth van parked outside in recent weeks. The mobile unit, which also visited earlier this year, has already seen more than 1,100 people attend appointments with specialists for tailored health checks and scans.
The initiative, part of a national programme, aims to catch lung cancer early, giving patients a better chance of successful treatment.
Dr Sadaf Haque, GP Clinical Lead for Cancer at NHS Gloucestershire, said: “It is a fantastic opportunity to have this as a proper screening programme, bringing services directly into neighbourhoods in the county.
“Lung cancer is common, and it is preventable if it is caught early. Weeks matter with lung cancer, it can spread quickly so catching it early is so important.
“Having the clinic somewhere like Tesco means it is accessible, there’s a bus, there’s easy parking and you can combine it with daily life like shopping so it doesn’t feel like a specific medical appointment. We know this can cut down on some of the anxieties people feel around this sort of thing.”
The project invites people aged 55 to 74, who are smokers or former smokers, to attend after an initial phone assessment. Those deemed high risk are then offered a nurse assessment and, in some cases, a low-dose CT scan in the mobile unit.
Julie Frost, Operations Manager for InHealth’s Lung Screening Team, said: “At InHealth we are proud to be bringing our Lung Health Clinics to neighbourhoods across Gloucestershire and the wider South West.
“We know the clinics and scans are making a difference, we’ve had patients stop by after doing shopping to tell us that the scans have picked up problems which are now being treated. They’ve told us that they had no symptoms and no idea they could be at risk and all it took was replying to the letter they received inviting them to attend.”
The InHealth team works seven days a week, seeing up to 60 patients a day. They have already supported two Primary Care Networks in Gloucester and are set to expand to the Forest of Dean later this year. By 2030, the programme is expected to cover the whole of Gloucestershire.
The scheme is commissioned by the SWAG (Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire) Cancer Alliance and is currently focusing on areas with higher numbers of eligible patients.
In addition to screening, smokers in Gloucestershire are also being offered personalised stop smoking support through the Healthy Lifestyles Service.