Liverpool couple thank NHS lung health checks for saving their lives

A Liverpool couple have a powerful message for the community: take advantage of the free NHS lung health checks, because they could save your life.

A husband and wife from Liverpool have NHS lung health checks to thank for spotting their life-threatening health problems early so they could have treatment.

And now more people across Cheshire and Merseyside have the chance to have the free NHS checks which can catch cancer and other problems at the first stages when they are much easier to treat.

Targeted Lung Health Checks have been spotting health problems for the past few years in Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and south Sefton – including finding more than 500 lung cancers – and they are now rolling out across Wirral, before launching in Warrington later this month (August) and then north Sefton.

Gordon Darnell and his wife Muriel, who live in Croxteth, have both had potentially fatal health problems spotted by the checks – with lung cancer for Gordon and an undiagnosed heart condition for Muriel. And the couple, both 71, are now urging people to take up the offer of the checks if they are sent an appointment.

Both Gordon and Muriel had no health concerns and felt well when they were given appointments for the checks, which were pioneered in Liverpool and are now part of the NHS’s national screening programme.

Gordon’s check in 2021 found stage 1 lung cancer, which was removed by keyhole surgery. He goes back for annual checks but has been given the all-clear. “My surgeon said that the day I saved my own life was the day I went for that check,” said Gordon. “Even when I was told it was cancer I didn’t really believe them because I had no health problems whatsoever – I felt so well. But they caught it so early through the check.”

Eight weeks after his surgery, Gordon and Muriel went on holiday to Spain. “I’m so glad I went for that check,” said Gordon. “It was so easy and convenient. If you get an appointment, go for it – if there’s nothing wrong, then you haven’t lost anything. But if they do find something wrong, they can deal with it quickly.”

When Muriel went for her check in October last year, she was expecting the all-clear because she also felt well but a scan found a mild heart problem which is now being treated by medication and changes to her lifestyle. “I had no indications that anything was wrong, but the doctor said that it was in its very earliest stages. He said I wouldn’t have known about it until it had got worse and I had a heart attack or stroke – so I’m just so pleased I had the check too.

“My scan was so quick and discrete, you do not need even to take off any clothes, you just lie on the scanner, and it is done in 10 minutes. Anyone who has the chance of a lung health check should just go for it.”

More than one million people in England aged 55 to 74 who smoke or used to smoke have already been invited for a free check as part of the biggest programme to improve early lung cancer diagnosis in health service history. The checks pinpoint those most at risk who are then offered a chest scan to rule out health problems or prompt more investigation or treatment.

In Cheshire and Merseyside, with 35,800 CT scans carried out since 2021, latest figures show that 503 lung cancers have been found, with 85% at the early stages of 1 or 2. People diagnosed with lung cancer at an early stage are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose disease is found late. 

The lung health checks are now being offered to people in Wirral on a rolling basis over the next two years and launch in Warrington on August 22^nd, with people in north Sefton being eligible in early 2026.

Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer, claiming the lives of more people than breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers combined. It is a particular issue in parts of Cheshire and Merseyside, with local incidence significantly above the national average. However, these simple lung checks can significantly improve survival rates by detecting cancer much earlier, even before symptoms appear. But for the checks to work, people need to attend their appointment – even if they feel well.

Dr Chris Warburton, Targeted Lung Health Check Clinical Director of Programme, said: “We are delighted that Gordon and Muriel were treated early as a result of lung health checks. The checks have made a remarkable impact since they first launched in Liverpool a few years ago. Instead of finding most lung cancers as patients experience symptoms in the later stages – when the disease is usually incurable – the NHS is now detecting cancers when people have a good chance of being cured. 

“We want everyone who is given an appointment to attend it and you should have the check whether you feel well or not. For most people who attend, everything will be fine, but for those with something wrong, catching it early can make a huge difference.”

Gordon said: “Eight weeks after surgery, I went on holiday. It was like the cancer never happened, and that was because I played my part and went for that check-up. It would have been easy to not bother. But if there is something wrong, it’s not going away – you’ve got to deal with it – and that check was the easiest way to do it.”

People invited to have the check are sent an appointment in a text or letter for a telephone conversation with a lung health nurse, and people with a higher risk of lung cancer will be offered a low dose CT scan in a mobile unit located in their community. This scan is far more accurate at picking up cancer than a standard X-ray. The programme also offers support on how best to quit smoking for those ready to make the change.

For more information about NHS lung health checks click here.

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