Lung Cancer Screening
The NHS lung health check (lung cancer screening) aims to find lung cancer early, when treatment may be more successful.
If you're worried about symptoms of lung cancer, please speak to your GP. Do not wait for a lung health check.
Contact us
By phone: 01304 222644 (phone lines are open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm)
Where to find us
Buckland Community Diagnostic Centre
Who is eligible for a lung health check
You may be invited for lung cancer screening if you:
live in an area where lung health checks are currently offered
are aged between 55 and 74
are registered with a GP surgery
are a current or former smoker.
Check the NHS Kent and Medway lung health checks information for the current list of areas/GPs in Kent offering this service.
If you're eligible, you'll get a letter or phone call inviting you to an appointment.
What happens at a lung health check
Lung health checks looks at how well your lungs are working.
Your appointment may be in person, by phone, or online.
A health professional will ask about your health and lifestyle, to find out about your risk of lung cancer.
What happens after a lung health check
At the end of your lung health check, one of the following things will happen:
No further action. If the lung health check suggests you are not at higher risk of developing lung cancer, then no further action is needed.
Referral to your GP. If the lung health check finds problems with your breathing or lung health, you may be referred to your GP, to discuss this in more detail.
Offered a CT scan of your lungs. If the lung health check finds you're at a higher risk of developing lung cancer, you may be invited for a CT scan. This might be on the same day, or you may be invited to another appointment. The lung health check team will write to your GP with details of your appointment.
What happens at the CT scan
CT scans take a detailed picture of your lungs. It will take place at Buckland Hospital in Dover.
Your appointment will last about 30 minutes. The CT scan itself will only take a few minutes and does not hurt. You will not need any dye (contrast medium) for the scan.
Find out more about having a CT scan
Getting your results and next steps
You will receive a letter with your results within 4 weeks of the CT scan. If a follow-up is needed, the lung health check team will contact you to talk about the next steps. In the majority of cases, no further action is needed.
If no further action is needed, you will be offered another check in two years to see if anything has changed.
If you currently still smoke, you will also be offered stop smoking support.
Additional resources
For more information about lung cancer screening visit: