Do you need a referral for low-dose CT lung screening?

Low-dose CT lung screening is intended for people without symptoms who meet a service's eligibility criteria, which may include age and smoking history. A clinician or screening team reviews whether the scan is appropriate and explains possible results, including findings that need follow-up. If you have coughing up blood, unexplained persistent respiratory symptoms, or another concerning change, you need a diagnostic assessment rather than waiting for a screening pathway.

Contact the radiology or screening service and ask whether it accepts direct bookings or requires referral from a primary care clinician or pulmonologist. Be ready to describe your current and past smoking, previous chest imaging, lung conditions, cancer history, and any current symptoms. If a referral is necessary, ask the referring clinician to include the information requested by the service. Confirm how results will be communicated and who will coordinate any additional imaging or specialist review.

Arrange a medical review rather than a routine screening booking if you develop a persistent or changing cough, cough up blood, have unexplained chest pain, worsening breathlessness, repeated chest infections, or unexplained weight loss. Sudden severe breathing difficulty, blue or grey lips, collapse, confusion, or heavy bleeding requires emergency help. These symptoms determine urgency; they do not establish the cause, and assessment may involve tests chosen for diagnosis rather than screening.

Ask whether you meet the service's eligibility criteria, whether any symptom makes diagnostic testing more appropriate, and how previous scans will be compared. Clarify who receives the report, what different categories of findings may lead to, and whom you should contact if symptoms appear while waiting for the scan or result.