The Australian Government’s National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) starts on 1 July 2025. It uses low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans to look for lung cancer in high-risk people who do not have signs or symptoms of the disease.
The target population comprises people aged between 50 and 70 with a history of cigarette smoking. These will be offered free scans every two years.
The result will be better health outcomes for Australians by detecting lung cancer early and thus reducing deaths.
Getting ready for the NLCSP
The NLCSP will have a soft launch on 1 July. A publicity campaign for consumers and service providers is planned for October and November 2025.
General practice teams are encouraged to hold lunch-and-learn sessions to familiarise staff with the resources and e-learning modules available on the Lung Foundation Australia website
To assist with patient messaging to promote the program, providers can also update their knowledge on smoking cessation. Some further practice readiness ideas can be found on the NLCS program website.
Practices should ensure they are registered with the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR), which already compiles a single electronic record for each person in Australia participating in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and . Unlike in these programs, providers will be responsible for enrolling patients who are eligible for NLCS program into the NCSR.
The NCSR will also support the NLCSP by:
- Managing participant information and sending screening reminders to eligible individuals.
- Providing health care providers with access to participants’ screening histories.
- Supporting mandatory reporting for radiologists to ensure accurate lung cancer screening data recording.
- Providing data for program monitoring and evaluation to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Practices that have not yet integrated their GP software with the NCSR are encouraged to do so to get ready for 1 July commencement. Information on how to do so can be found on the NSCR website.
From July 2025, the MBS website will provide more information on new items associated with the program, including the descriptors and explanatory notes.
How can NWMPHN support you?
NWMPHN will provide information and advice on the new NLCSP to assist with upskilling workforce.
The organisation is running a series of webinars in partnership with the Royal Melbourne Hospital to support practices to get ready for the program.
You can view the recordings of the two previous sessions here:
- NLCSP: What’s involved and how do I prepare? (25 February 2025) – NWMPHN
- NLCSP: Essentials in pulmonary nodule management and risk factors (6 May 2025) – NWMPHN
To be notified of our upcoming sessions please ensure you are subscribed to our weekly CPD update.
For further support please contact the Primary Health Care Improvement Team on primarycare@nwmphn.org.au
Resources
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care – NLCSP resources:
