When Andrew Potts got a letter inviting him to have his lungs checked, he didn't think much of it. But as the clinic was right next to his local Asda, he tied in a visit whilst getting his tea.
A few weeks later, he received a call saying doctors had found a nodule in his right lung. A biopsy arranged for him at Wythenshawe Hospital showed he had cancer.
Andrew, 60, a retired policeman from Denton, who was working as a civilian officer at the time, thought his general ill health at the time had been due to the fact he was working late shifts.
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Having been diagnosed with lung cancer at an earlier stage, he was able to undergo surgery and chemotherapy, and now has a positive outlook for the future.
He had been invited to the Targeted Lung Health Check (TLHC) mobile unit outside his local Asda store. From the outside, it looks like a normal van parked outside a supermarket.
But inside are a sleek series of rooms with a lung health check process that normally takes several hospital visits.
"I received one of those general letters inviting me to get my lungs checked," said Andrew. "I'm a smoker and I wasn't going to go but it was right next to Asda, so I thought I could get something for tea.
"It looks like a normal lorry but inside there are so many rooms and scanning machines. It's like a TARDIS. You expect Doctor Who to walk out.
"The people there were fantastic. They were willing to explain everything and answer all my questions. It was done in less than half an our and I never thought more of it."
Following his diagnosis, Andrew is now undergoing treatment and is grateful to the service, as it allowed doctors to catch the cancer whilst it is still treatable.
"The recovery time doesn’t matter to me, I’m just so grateful," He said. "I’ve had fantastic treatment and I’ve cleared the first hurdle."
Started by Wythenshawe Hospital in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Improvement Partnership in Manchester, the TLHC unit is an NHS England programme.
It was established to detect cancer in some of the city's deprived areas by bringing the scanner into the community, and encouraging more people to get checked in the most convenient way.
"It’s so important that we pick up cancer at an early stage," said Emma Loftus, a CURE Specialist Nurse. Each patient when entering the unit is seen by the nurse team where they are asked about smoking history and other risk factors.
The clinic can see up to eighty patients a day. Current smokers are able to see the CURE Specialist Nurses for support on how to stop smoking.
Further on down the pathway, patients have the chance to take part in vital cancer research. Francisca Fernandes, a Clinical Research Nurse, collects data for the study of lung cancer.
Finally, the patient will be led to the CT scanner, depending on the outcome of their LHC risk assessment. The one-stop design is highly effective for making the whole visit as quick as possible.
Professor Richard Booton, Clinical Lead for Lung Cancer at Wythenshawe Hospital and Programme Director for the GM TLHC programme said: "The targeted Lung Health Check programme is revolutionary for finding cancers earlier.
"By bringing the scanner directly into the community, the scheme can directly contact those at most risk and intervene when the cancer is at its most treatable."
The mobile TLHC units are expected to roll out to other parts of Greater Manchester in the Winter of 2023, inviting all eligible GM residents over the coming years.
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