NHS Salford offers free Lung 'M.O.T' checks

NHS Salford offers free Lung ‘M.O.T’ checks

Salford CCG is offering free health checks for your lungs if you’re an ex-smoker or smoker aged 55 to 74 years.

Somebody dies from lung disease every five minutes in the UK.

About 10,000 people in the UK are newly diagnosed with a lung disease every week.

In Greater Manchester, an estimated 4,500 people die from a smoking-related illness each year, a large proportion caused by lung disease.

This equates to nearly thirteen deaths every single day with many more people living with debilitating ill-health caused by lung disease.

Although the number of people smoking is reducing both in the UK and in Salford, in some parts of Salford 30% of people are smokers.

This is having a big impact in reducing life expectancy in these areas, which is up to 9 years lower for men and 3 years lower women than the England average.

The free Lung Health Check begins in September 2019 in Walkden (covering eligible patients registered with GPs in the Walkden, Little Hulton, Boothstown and Worsley) before moving around the remaining neighborhoods across Salford.

The Salford Lung Health Check Service is a pilot for smokers and ex-smokers across Salford aged 55 to 74 years who will be offered an “M.O.T” for their lungs.

Patients aged 55 to 74 who smoke or who have smoked in the past will be sent a letter from their GP inviting them to book a check which includes spirometry (breathing checks). Salford City Council’s health improvement service staff will also be on hand to offer stop smoking and other health advice.

Dr Steve Elliot, Salford CCG Clinical Lead for cancer said: “Similar checks in Liverpool and north Manchester proved very successful and suggest that 70 lives could be saved by early detection and treatment of problems. If there are any issues then the sooner they are picked up and dealt with the better.”

The first round of the lung health check pilot will be carried out at Walkden Gateway centre before being available in other parts of the city later in the year.

According to the NHS Salford website this Lung Health Check Service also strongly supports the aim of the GM Smoking Strategy to reduce the smoking rate across Greater Manchester to 13% by 2020. In Salford this equates to approximately 17,000 people quitting smoking.

You’d MOT your car so why not your lungs? Salford GPs are now offering smokers and ex-smokers aged 55-74 a free NHS lung health check. These will start in the Walkden area before gradually being rolled out across the city. For more info https://t.co/q70eIS20EW @SalfordRoyalNHS pic.twitter.com/ACitJ5xwAS

— NHS Salford CCG (@SalfordCCG) September 11, 2019

The Lung Health Check Service will attempt to spot lung disease earlier and get patients the right treatment to reduce the rates of premature death and disability from lung disease in Salford. The Salford Lung Health Check Service therefore aims to: