The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) launched July 2025 across Australia, and primary care is at the centre of its delivery. Eligible people aged 50–70 with a qualifying smoking history are already engaging with screening, and many are seeking guidance directly from their healthcare provider, which include general practitioners (GPs), nurse practitioners and medical specialists. 

If your practice is still catching up or is only partially embedded in the process, you’re not alone. The early rollout period has highlighted variations in confidence, workflow readiness and system integration, but there is now strong opportunity for healthcare providers to consolidate their role and streamline how lung screening fits within day-to-day practice. 

This blog explores how you can strengthen implementation, manage referrals effectively, and ensure your practice is set up to deliver consistent, patient-centred screening. 

Why General Practice Remains the Backbone of the Program 

With no automatic invitations being sent to eligible participants, the success of this program relies directly on healthcare providers. Participants are being identified through: 

  • Opportunistic consultations 
  • Self-presentation after media or community exposure 
  • Practice-initiated identification based on smoking history and age 
  • Targeted communication via Electronic Medical Record (EMR) prompts or recalls 

As a GP, your involvement may include: 

  • Eligibility and suitability assessments 
  • Shared decision-making and patient education 
  • Enrolment in the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) 
  • Referrals for low-dose CT scans 
  • Communicating results and arranging follow-up 
  • Smoking cessation discussions and support 

Now that the program has launched, the focus has shifted from preparing to participating – and doing so confidently and sustainably. 

Step 1: Ensure You’re Confident with Eligibility and Enrolment 

Patients may present with assumptions or questions, especially if they have seen public program messaging. The eligibility criteria  include: 

  • Aged 50–70 
  • No symptoms or signs suggestive of lung cancer 
  • Currently smoke tobacco cigarettes or quit within the last 10 years 
  • At least 30 pack-year history of tobacco cigarette smoking 

Self-referral does not bypass clinical assessment. Patients still require an eligibility assessment, enrolment and low-dose CT scan request form from a requesting practitioner. 

If your team isn’t yet confident in quickly assessing eligibility, the free training provides practical examples and communication strategies on how to navigate borderline or complex histories. 

Step 2: Review How Your Practice Is Identifying Eligible Patients 

Some practices have already built EMR prompts and smoking status reminders. Others are relying on chance conversations. 

To embed proactive identification now: 

  • Review and update smoking history fields 
  • Add reminders for annual eligibility checks 
  • Flag potentially eligible patients as they hit age 50 
  • Encourage nurses to raise screening opportunistically during appropriate consults and at health reviews 

Even modest system changes can ensure eligible people aren’t missed as the program scales nationally. 

Step 3: Confirm NCSR Access Is Working Smoothly 

Now that the program is live, it is important that you are connected to the NCSR.  It can be accessed through either: 

If access has been inconsistent, or managed by only one team member, now is the time to ensure broader staff familiarity and consider delegate access. The NCSR supports:

  • Lodgement of enrolment forms 
  • Follow-up and reminder communications to enrolled participants 
  • Notification of screening outcomes 
  • Ongoing participation tracking 

If a patient chooses not to have their details in the NCSR, they are still eligible, but your practice must manage follow-up and recalls.  

Step 4: Strengthen Team Roles and Internal Workflows 

With the first wave of eligible participants now engaging with the program, practices are reporting the importance of a whole-team approach. 

Consider: 

  • Who updates smoking histories? 
  • Who confirms eligibility when patients self-present? 
  • Who enrols participants via the NCSR and manages associated administrative steps 
  • Who follows up on scan results, reminders and recalls? 

A team-based model, drawing on the skills of practice nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers, practice managers and administrative staff, helps integrate screening into everyday workflows and reduces reliance on the requesting practitioners’ time alone.  

Step 5: Normalise Shared Decision-Making Conversations 

Many patients with a smoking history may experience shame, guilt, or fear of judgement when discussing screening. Early implementation feedback shows that stigma continues to be a barrier to participation. 

You can support engagement with simple, respectful messaging: 

  • “You don’t need to quit smoking to take part.” 
  •  “Screening helps us detect changes early, when treatment works best.” 
  • “Everyone deserves access to preventive health, no matter their history.” 

If your practice hasn’t yet had these conversations regularly, the training includes guidance on non-stigmatising language and person-first communication. 

Step 6: Know What Happens After Referral 

Low-dose CT scans under the program are Medicare-funded and mandatory bulk billed. Now that referrals are in motion, your role includes: 

  • Selecting a participating radiology provider 
  • Ensuring patients understand what to expect 
  • Reviewing and communicating results (noting that patients enrolled in the NCSR will not receive their reports directly; results are sent to the requesting practitioner and recorded in the NCSR) 
  • Managing follow-up scans at 3, 6, 12 or 24 months based on radiologist categories of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program Nodule Management Protocol
  • Referring to a respiratory physician if high-risk findings are identified 
  • Responding to actionable incidental findings 

Early experiences suggest some practices are still refining tracking and recall systems, ongoing training can help tighten this up. 

Step 7: Embed Smoking Cessation Conversations Without Pressure 

Quitting is not a requirement for screening, but screening creates a great opportunity to discuss smoking history. Conversations should be supportive, optional, and free of judgement. 

Even brief advice with appropriate referral can make a difference, and many participants may report feeling more open to change once screening is underway. 

Resources include: 

Step 8: Use the CPD Training to Close the Confidence Gap 

Now that the program is live, many GPs are realising they would like to feel more confident with: 

  • Eligibility decision-making 
  • Enrolling patients via the NCSR 
  • Low-dose CT scan request form details 
  • Results interpretation 
  • Communication strategies 
  • Re-referral processes 
  • Supporting priority populations 

The free training provided by Lung Foundation Australia covers all of these areas in seven self-paced modules and takes around 3.5 hours to complete, which can be logged as 3.5 CPD hours. 

Whether you’re already referring or just getting started, it’s an opportunity to streamline your approach and clarify your role across the screening journey. 

What’s In It for General Practice Now? 

 While implementation introduces some new steps, the broader benefits for patients, practices, and the health system are already becoming clear: 

  • Reduced late-stage lung cancer diagnoses 
  • Increased opportunities for preventive care 
  • Strengthened continuity of patient relationships 
  • Proactive identification of comorbidities 
  • Lower burden on tertiary services long term 
  • Alignment with national screening priorities 
  • Access to CPD supporting safe implementation 

Embedding screening workflows now supports both patient outcomes and practice efficiency. 

If you haven’t yet completed the training, or want to build confidence as referrals increase, now is the time. 

Register for the FREE National Lung Cancer Screening Program Health Workforce Education below.

Register here