Merton

Lung health checks are available in Merton for people aged between 55-74 who smoke or used to smoke any tobacco product, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, roll ups, hookahs or shishas.

A lung health check can spot problems such as cancer early, often before you notice any symptoms. Finding problems earlier can make treatment simpler and more successful.

There are two main stages to a lung health check. The first involves a simple and quick telephone assessment with a respiratory nurse. They will ask you a series of questions about your smoking history, lifestyle and current health and wellbeing specially designed to assess your risk of developing lung cancer. This should take around 15 minutes.

Depending on the results, you may then be offered an in-person appointment for a low dose CT scan, which produces a detailed image of your lungs.

There are often no signs or symptoms of lung cancer at an early stage. Lung health checks can help save lives by identifying lung cancer even before there are any symptoms, when treatment can be simpler and more successful. Lung health checks can also help diagnose other respiratory issues, which again can be treated more successfully at an earlier stage.

If you are invited for a lung health check, even if you feel well, please book your appointment.

If you are 55-74, live in Merton, and have ever smoked, you should receive a letter from InHealth offering you a telephone assessment, which should take around 15 minutes.

The patient care advisor will call you within 14 days to complete your assessment over the telephone.

Please let InHealth know if you have questions or need support for your telephone appointment. Arrangements can then be put in place to make sure the appointment is suitable and comfortable for you. You can call the Booking Office on 020 3835 1600.

If you feel you are eligible for a lung health check but have not received an invitation, please contact InHealth on 020 3835 1600.

If you received an invitation for a lung health check from the Royal Brompton team, but have not taken this up, you can now contact InHealth to make an appointment with this service. Please 020 3835 1600.

If you are invited to have a CT scan of your chest, this will be arranged at a time that is convenient for you. The team will talk you through the scan and answer any questions you may have about it.

The CT scan is a quick and painless way to see if there are any changes in your lungs. The appointment lasts around 30 minutes, and it is a good idea to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Metal, such as necklaces, may need to be removed for the scan.

During the scan you will lay flat on your back while your chest is scanned, which takes about 5 minutes. You will be able to go about your normal routine before and after the scan.

You will receive the results of the CT scan within four weeks. Your GP will also receive a copy of these results.

If you are invited for a scan, this will take place at a scanning unit in a convenient community location. The lung health check team will provide more details at your telephone assessment and confirm the information in a letter and by text.

To be eligible for our lung health check, you must be:

• Registered with a GP in Merton
• Aged 55-74
• A current or former smoker

If you don’t meet these criteria, you will not be invited for an NHS lung health check. If you feel you meet the eligibility criteria and you haven’t received an invitation, there could be several reasons for this:

• Invitations for patients from your practice have not yet been sent out.
• Your practice is not participating in this programme.
• Your smoking status has not been recorded on your GP record; if you think this may be the case, please contact your GP practice. Your practice should be able to update your record, and this may mean that you are invited for a lung health check.
• You are not registered with a GP in Merton, although you may live in this area.

If you feel you are eligible and would like a check, please call 020 3835 1600 to see if a lung health check can be arranged.

If you received an invitation for a lung health check from the Royal Brompton team, but have not taken this up, you can now contact InHealth to make an appointment with this service. Please call 020 3835 1600.

If you had a lung health check and scan with Royal Brompton Hospital and have any queries about your next scan, please contact InHealth on 020 3835 1600.

If you were seen at the Royal Brompton Hospital for a lung health check and are now being followed up for a lung nodule, you will remain under the care of the Royal Brompton team. Please call 0330 128 8021 if you have any queries, or refer to your last results letter for more information about next steps and any future appointments.

If you have any questions, would like general information or would like to opt out of the lung health check programme, please email: westlondon.lunghealthcheck@nhs.net