A FREE lung MOT offered to smokers and ex-smokers in Walkden and Little Hulton has been deemed a great success after spotting 10 early cases of lung cancer and three other types of cancer within the first five months.

The lung health checks, funded by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to increase early detection rates of lung disease, was initially trialled in Walkden and Little Hulton inviting 4,165 smokers and ex-smokers to have their lungs checked out.

Half of the people invited for a check booked an appointment, which led to 13 cancers being found as well as other conditions such as emphysema and bronchiectasis (conditions which can cause shortness of breath).

Patients who were diagnosed with cancer are now undergoing the most suitable treatment.

The pilot, supported by Salford City Council and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, is now moving into Ordsall and Claremont with more than 160 appointments already booked from the first set of invites.

Dr Steven Elliot, Cancer Lead at Salford CCG, said:

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“I’m pleased that this pilot is proving a success, helping to detect lung disease as early as possible.

“Smoking tobacco is the biggest cause of lung cancer in the UK and although the checks may seem daunting, it’s really important that people aged between 55 and 74 with a history of smoking book an appointment as it’s best to treat any problems as soon as possible.”

 

If you have a history of smoking and registered with a GP in Ordsall or Claremont, look out for your invite for a free lung health check in the post and make sure you book your appointment. Over the next couple, the trial of checks will continue to move to other areas within the city.

More information on the free lung health checks can be found here: www.salfordccg.nhs.uk/age-well/lung-health-check

Teenagers across Salford are to be taught to recognise the early signs of cancer and know when they should see a GP thanks to a series of workshops funded by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The Cancer Awareness in Teenagers and Young People Society (CATS) helps young people know the common signs and symptoms of cancer and when to go to see a GP. The society has been granted £40,000 from Salford CCG’s Innovation Fund to deliver their educational workshops to schools and colleges across Salford, and the University of Salford, to increase early detection of cancer amongst the younger generation.

Seren Hughes, Project Manager for CATS, said:

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“Getting the news that Salford CCG will be supporting our project, through the Innovation Fund, was absolutely amazing. This will allow us to reach so many more young people in a massive variety of communities throughout Salford, with our educational and informal workshops.

“Ensuring all young people, from all walks of life, feel confident enough in their knowledge of the signs and symptoms of cancer and in knowing their own bodies is an essential part of our work. With this project we are aiming to reduce health inequalities throughout Salford by reaching young people who may not have been involved in this type of awareness raising before.”

 

Each year, Salford CCG runs the Innovation Fund to support community projects that test and develop new healthcare products and services in a hope to improve outcomes for people living in the city.

Following a three stage shortlisting process, including a market place event and ‘dragons den’ style interviews, 12 projects were successful and received money from the CCG in the 2019/20 fund.

More information about Salford CCG's Innovation Fund can be found HERE.

More information about The CATS Campaign can be found HERE.

Photo & Release: Salford Clinical Commission Group

All paper prescriptions will be ended next month in favour of an electronic one that will save the NHS £300m.

The new electronic prescription will replace the paper one doctors give out from November 18th 2019.

EPS (Electronic Prescription Service) will save the NHS time and money by reducing the amount of paper processing required by GPs, pharmacists and the NHS Business Services Authority.

Patients in Salford and across the whole country will see little or no change to the process of being prescribed medicines by their GP, or how they request and collect them from their community pharmacy.

Those without a nominated pharmacy still receive a paper copy of their prescription listing what has been prescribed, but this will also contain a barcode.

Pharmacy staff will then scan the barcode to download their electronic prescription from the secure NHS database – the NHS Spine.

EPS patients have the flexibility to choose or nomonate a pharmacy where their prescriptions will be sent electronically to their nominated dispenser.

Dr Ian Lowry, Director of Digital Medicines and Pharmacy at NHS Digital, said:

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“Every prescription that is sent electronically saves money for the NHS by increasing efficiency. The system is also safer and more secure, as prescriptions can’t be lost and clinicians can check their status online.

“Building upon the success of the existing service, this is a huge milestone to reach, and one which benefits patients, GPs, pharmacists and the NHS as a whole.”

 

Martin Kelsall, Director of Primary Care Services at the NHSBSA, said:

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“EPS has the potential to deliver significant benefits to patients while saving millions of pounds that could be re-invested in patient care. This is especially true for patients who get regular or repeat prescriptions, using Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) – a process that allows regular medicines to be prescribed for suitable patients in batches of up to a year.

“Working collaboratively with NHS Digital, our EPS Support team has been working with primary care staff to maximise EPS use.

“As Phase 4 progresses, we’ll continue to work with prescribers and dispensers to support their use of EPS and eRD and promote best practice.”

 

Keith Ridge, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, said:

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“This is another major development towards making NHS services more convenient for patients in the digital age, offering an efficient, effective and safe service that also saves the NHS money.”

News Source (NHS Digital)