Lung health check campaign shortlisted for Greater Manchester Cancer Awards

The Targeted Lung Health Check campaign run by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care (Tameside), Tameside Council and Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT) was praised as ‘highly commended’ in the shortlist for the Outstanding Care Award, in the first ever Greater Manchester (GM) Cancer Awards organised by Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance on 18 October.

This award recognises teams or projects that have made a significant impact on improving care for patients living with and beyond cancer in Greater Manchester.

The initiative targets past and current smokers aged 55-74, inviting 58,000 over two years to a lung check and over 65% will be eligible for an appointment based on their smoking history.

While the campaign is running, it will identify an estimated 400 cases of lung cancer earlier than otherwise would have been possible.

The lung health check takes place as a ‘one-stop shop’. An initial nurse led assessment will explore smoking status, chest symptoms, and risk of lung cancer. Those considered to be at high risk will be offered an immediate ultra-low dose CT scan of the chest.

The awards honour outstanding work to improve lives and treatment for people affected by cancer in Greater Manchester.

A panel of judges – including patient representatives and staff working in cancer from across the city – whittled down around 50 entries to a final shortlist.

Professor Richard Booton, Clinical Director of Lung Cancer and Thoracic Surgery at Wythenshawe Hospital, said: “We are delighted to be have shortlisted this prestigious award, recognising the hard work of our MFT delivery team and our colleagues we have collaborated in the Tameside and Manchester localities.  Our Targeted Lung Health Check programme is changing the trajectory for people diagnosed with lung cancer in GM, improving survival rates and targeting people in areas with high levels of deprivation. This is brilliant timing following the recommendation from the national screening committee that Lung cancer screening be adopted as a UK wide national screening programme, building on the work piloted here in GM. We are looking forward to working with GM Cancer alliance on the rollout of lung health checks across the region, bringing the benefits of this service to many more residents.”

Dr Ashwin Ramachandra, Interim Strategic Clinical lead for Tameside Integrated Care System, said: “Well done and congratulations to everyone involved in the delivery of the Lung Health Check programme in Tameside. The teams involved need to be very proud of what has been achieved so far with their passion and dedication towards this work.  This campaign has been instrumental in helping us to detect the early signs of lung cancer which has truly helped achieve better outcomes for local people.”

Cllr Eleanor Wills, Tameside Council Executive Member for Population Health and Wellbeing, said: “I’m delighted that the Lung Health Check campaign was ‘highly commended’ in the shortlisted for the Outstanding Care Award as our team have worked so hard to provide a caring and compassionate service for patients. This has been a partnership effort between ourselves and Manchester Foundation Trust to bring this multi-location initiative to areas across Tameside.”

Head judge Miss Susannah Penney, Associate Medical Director at Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, said: “These awards really demonstrate all valuable work that is going on across our cancer network.

“They are a chance to celebrate the dedication of staff who go above and beyond every day to improve outcomes and experiences for people affected by cancer in Greater Manchester.

“The standard of entries was very high, and it was a tough job to pick our shortlist!”

The awards were open to teams in NHS, research, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE), and public health /local authority sectors. This recognises the collaborative approach our teams take in Greater Manchester to work across organisational boundaries to make things better for our patients.

Dr Julie Wray, a former cancer patient and a member of Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance’s User Involvement Programme, said: “I found reading the entries heart-warming and comforting in that so many healthcare staff are deeply passionate to improving cancer care in Greater Manchester. As a patient you are not always aware of what’s going on behind the scenes to improve and advance cancer care, these entries revealed that patients and their family carers are at the heart of GM cancer care services.”

The shortlisted entries included:

Outstanding Care Award

• Targeted Lung Health Checks programme by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside localities
• Teaching patient and carers to inject chemotherapeutic drugs in the comfort of their own house to enhance quality of life and avoid unnecessary hospital commute and exposure during the pandemic, by the Northern Care Alliance
• One Stop Lung Cancer Clinic Team by GM Cancer Alliance, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Greater Manchester Collaboration Award

• Primary Care Network Collaboration in Early Cancer Diagnosis by GM Cancer and GM Primary Care Networks
• Prehab4Cancer by GM Cancer and GM Active
• National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day by the CNS Workforce Sub-group.

Commitment to Equality Award

• The ACES LGBTQIA+ Project by The University of Manchester
• Learning Disability Flagging Project by Pennine Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
• Encouraging Inclusivity in Technology Clinical Trials Project by Digital Experimental Cancer Medicine Team, The University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

Research Award

• Genito-Urinary Cancer Research Group UoM, Christie and Salford Royal
• Remote monitoring of cancer patients at high risk of sepsis for earlier intervention and better outcomes; the RECAP study The Christie and UoM
• Testing womb cancer for Lynch syndrome: How Manchester-led research changed UK clinical practice by The University of Manchester and MFT

Educational Impact Award

• Primary Care Fast Facts by GM Cancer and Gateway C
• Making Smoking History in Greater Manchester by Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership
• Cancer Awareness for Teens & Twenties - Youth Empowerment Workshops.

Innovation Award

• MyChristie-MyHealth - The Christie’s ePROMs project by the Christie NHS Foundation Trust
• Bloods Closer to Home by the Christie NHS Foundation Trust

ELECTRIC STUDY by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.