Mega lungs to visit Dover to promote lung cancer health checks 

Look out for a pair of mega lungs in Market Square, Dover, on Tuesday, 18 July, between 10am and 4pm.  

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation will be visiting Dover as part of NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance’s campaign to raise awareness and increase early diagnosis of lung cancer through the Targeted Lung Health Checks (TLHC) programme.

NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance was chosen to be part of the phase three pilot of the national TLHC programme. 

Serena Gilbert, Interim Managing Director of NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance, said: “The programme has already been a success locally, diagnosing patients at an earlier stage of lung cancer and significantly improving their prognosis. 

“The mega lungs coming to Dover will help us to raise awareness of lung health generally and give people the opportunity to find out more about targeted lung health checks, particularly if they’ve received an invitation and haven’t yet taken it up.

“Come along to meet the team in Market Square, Dover, on Tuesday, 18 July, between 10am and 4pm.”

Why Kent and Medway? 

The Kent and Medway area was chosen to be part of the pilot for the national programme because statistics showed some areas have high numbers of people who smoke and people losing their lives to lung cancer.

After looking at factors such as lung cancer diagnosis rates, smoking rates and deprivation, NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance launched its pilot programme in the south Kent coast area in November last year (2022). 

Eligible patients are offered a one-stop service at the community diagnostic centre at Buckland Hospital in Dover, including offering smoking cessation advice and support on the day of their TLHC appointment. 

Patients from GP practices in Dover were the first to be invited for their TLHC, and now the invites are being extended to eligible patients from GP practices in neighbouring towns.