An NHS programme that helps find lung cancer at an earlier and more treatable stage has now detected 1,000 cancers in Cheshire and Merseyside – saving hundreds of lives across the region.
The Lung Cancer Screening Programme, formerly known as Targeted Lung Health Checks, has hit the milestone after targeting people at risk of the disease over the past five years – finding most cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage.
The milestone is being hailed as a major achievement for early diagnosis across the region.
The initiative saw its highest response in Southport and Formby.
The Lung Cancer Screening programme in Southport and Formby ran between January and July 2026 and saw a mobile CT scanner based at Dunes Splash World from 9th March until 11th July 2026.
The initiative invited people aged 55 to 74 with a recorded smoking history to take part in a free lung health check, designed to identify lung cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage.
The response from local residents was outstanding. Uptake reached 68% making it the highest participation rate recorded anywhere in Cheshire and Merseyside since the programme began.
During the programme, 12,606 people were booked for a lung health check and more than 8,000 residents completed their lung health check.
Over 4,800 CT scans were carried out at the scanner based at Dunes Splash World in Southport.
Lung cancer can be difficult to spot in its earliest stages because symptoms are often absent or easy to miss, but screening can find cancers before people feel unwell, giving them a better chance of successful treatment.
The screening programme invites people aged 55 to 74 who smoke or have smoked in the past for a telephone lung health check. Those found to be at higher risk are offered a quick, low-dose CT scan in a mobile unit based in convenient community locations.
More than 12,000 cancers have been found nationally and other health problems have also been spotted through the tests.
In Cheshire and Merseyside, the programme is coordinated by Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance and delivered by Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, working with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, GP practices, local authorities and community partners.
The programme has already invited hundreds of thousands of eligible people and provided tens of thousands of low-dose CT scans, and around 80% of cancers detected through the local programme were found at stage 1 or 2, when outcomes are generally better.
The service is already live in Sefton, Liverpool, Knowsley, Halton, St Helens, Wirral, and Warrington, with plans for the programme to reach the rest of Cheshire in spring 2027.
Dr Chris Warburton, Clinical Director of the Lung Screening Programme, who helped to pioneer the checks while working as a consultant at Aintree Hospital, said:
“This is a tremendous milestone in a screening programme that is turning on its head the traditional poor outcomes of people diagnosed with lung cancer.
“Our teams are proud to deliver this programme in communities across Cheshire and Merseyside, making checks as convenient and accessible as possible for those most at risk.
“Most people who attend will not have lung cancer, but for those who do, finding it early can make an enormous difference. The scan is quick, simple and carried out close to home in mobile units in familiar community settings.
“I would like to thank all the clinical and administrative teams that have worked so hard to ensure this screening programme has been such a success in saving lives.”
Jon Hayes, Managing Director of CMCA said:
“Cheshire and Merseyside was one of the first areas of the country to have this screening programme and reaching 1,000 cancers detected shows how effective it has been.
“Lung cancer is often diagnosed late because people may not have symptoms until the disease is more advanced. Screening changes that by finding cancer earlier, when treatment is more likely to be successful and, in many cases, potentially curative.
“This achievement reflects years of hard work by NHS teams, GP practices, local authorities, community organisations and the people who have come forward for their appointments. We would urge anyone who receives an invitation to take it up, even if they feel completely well.”
People eligible for screening are to be invited when the programme is available in their area. Invitations are sent by letter or text message, followed by a telephone appointment with a specialist nurse or member of the screening team.
If the lung health check shows someone is at increased risk, they will be offered a low-dose CT scan. The scan can detect lung cancer and other lung conditions at an earlier stage, helping people get the care and treatment they need as soon as possible.
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