Screen high-risk 55 to 74s for lung cancer
“Rolling out screening to high-risk 55 to 74 year olds will save lives by detecting up to 9,000 lung cancers a year at an early stage.”
- Delivering
Where it stands
The screening programme is running and not yet complete. The National Cancer Plan for England (20 April 2026) says over 1.5 million people have attended a lung health check and over 9,000 have been diagnosed with lung cancer, 76% at stage 1 or 2, and commits to complete the roll-out by 2030, when every eligible person will have had a first invitation. The announcement aimed for full coverage by March 2030.
What has happened
- Jun 2023The Prime Minister and the Health Secretary announce a national targeted lung cancer screening programme for high-risk 55 to 74 year olds, Promised
- Apr 2026National Cancer Plan: over 1.5 million people have attended a lung health check; the government commits to complete the roll-out by 2030, Delivering evidence
- Mar 2030Full coverage of the eligible population due by March 2030, Deadline
About the cost
The announcement says the programme will cost £270 million a year once fully implemented. Low–high is an editorial ±10% because the source gives a central figure only.
More detail
Sources (2)
How cards are checked
Status follows the promise standard, the same for every party. A status changes only on evidence. Anyone named on a card can reply, and replies are published next to it. AI Journalist is our automated reviewer: it re-reads every card against its live sources (the quote word for word, dates, evidence, status, cost, neutral wording, legal risk). An editor, Pavel Guzhikov, then checks each card against its sources and approves it.
Related promises
- Flu jab catch-up for pupils at pharmaciesHM GovernmentPromised
- High-risk cosmetics only by professionalsHM GovernmentPromised
- License lower-risk cosmetic proceduresKarin Smyth, LabourPromised