Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment NHS England has made of the effect that the Targeted Lung Health Check programme has had on (a) early diagnosis, (b) urgent referrals and (c) prognosis in areas where the scheme operates, compared to the national average.

The targeted lung health check pilot schemes in Manchester and Liverpool have shown positive results. In Manchester, there was an almost five-fold reduction in stage 4 disease, with 80% of cancers diagnosed at an early stage. However, it is too early to compare diagnosis or outcomes by cancer stage from the pilot projects as data is not yet available for the national projects in the same period.

Targeted lung health check sites are increasing accessibility through the use of telephone consultations and mobile services. Although the launch of the checks was paused to protect patient safety during the pandemic NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that there is no current backlog.