With the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) now active across Australia, primary care teams are playing a crucial role in identifying eligible patients, initiating screening conversations, and coordinating care through the screening pathway. 

Practice nurses, General Practitioners (GPs), Aboriginal Health Workers, nurse practitioners, reception teams and other primary care staff are often the first point of contact for patients. Their involvement can determine whether someone feels comfortable engaging with screening, understands their eligibility, and follows through with appointments. 

This blog explores how the primary care workforce can embed lung screening into everyday practice, reduce barriers for patients, and confidently support the rollout of the program. 

Why the Role of Practice Nurses and Care Teams Matters 

Eligible participants won’t be automatically invited into the program; they need to be actively enrolled by a healthcare provider. Many patients will be engaged in the program opportunistically during routine visits, phone calls, care planning, health assessments or chronic disease management consultations. That makes nurses and practice support teams essential to: 

  • Identifying potential participants 
  • Clarifying eligibility 
  • Providing patient education 
  • Supporting shared decision-making 
  • Coordinating National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) enrolment 
  • Managing follow-up, reminders and recalls 
  • Assisting with smoking cessation support 
  • Maintaining culturally safe and stigma-free care 

Where GPs lead clinical assessment and referral, nurses and care teams create the pathway that makes screening possible. 

Identifying Eligible Patients in Everyday Consults 

Practice nurses and primary care staff are often well-positioned to spot potentially eligible patients during routine checks. Key opportunities include: 

  • 45–49, 75+ and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments 
  • Chronic disease planning appointments and reviews  
  • Spirometry or lung health appointments 
  • ECG or cardiovascular risk assessments 
  • Immunisation and travel health consultations 
  • Smoking cessation support sessions 
  • Wound care appointments 
  • Preventive health and lifestyle consultations 
  • Results or recall follow-up phone calls 
  • Community outreach or home visits 
  • Pre-employment or WorkCover assessments 

Checking and updating smoking history is one of the most impactful contributions nurses can make to help with patient identification. Practices that actively record when patients start and quit smoking and maintain accurate pack-year data are better placed to identify and enrol quickly and accurately. 

Making the Conversation Safe and Supportive 

Many eligible participants experienced stigma and may feel shame or fear related to smoking and lung disease. Some may assume they’ll be judged, dismissed, or told it’s “too late” to worry about screening. Practice teams can change that story. 

Approaches that build trust include: 

  • Using stigma-free, person-first language (“people who smoke” rather than “smokers”) 
  • Reinforcing that you don’t need to quit smoking to take part 
  • Avoiding assumptions, judgement or blame around smoking 
  • Emphasising prevention and early detection 
  • Understanding that people may feel shame, fear and resistance are common barriers 

Simple, stigma-aware messages can make a big difference: 

  • “Screening helps pick things up early, when treatment works best.” 
  • “Lots of people with a smoking history don’t realise they’re eligible.” 
  •  “You deserve the same access to screening as anyone else.” 

These conversations don’t need to be long, just respectful. 

Supporting the Screening Pathway 

Once someone is identified as potentially eligible, practice nurses and care teams can assist with many steps in the pathway, including: 

  • Checking smoking history and cessation timeline 
  • Asking about current respiratory symptoms 
  • Confirming suitability for low-dose CT scans 
  • Explaining what screening involves and addressing common questions  
  • Collecting and documenting consent for NCSR participation 
  • Providing the participant with the NLCSP Privacy Information Notice 
  • Supporting NCSR enrolment by entering information under GP delegation 
  • Maintaining an internal recall system (especially important for patients who opt out of NCSR participation) 

These shared tasks reduce GP burden and improve the program’s reach. 

Navigating the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) 

Not every participant will be enrolled via GPs and Nurse Practitioners alone. Other nursing and administrative teams can help manage NCSR processes via delegate access, including: 

  • Confirming and recording contact preferences 
  • Updating participant demographic details 
  • Submitting enrolment forms 
  • Updating participant details and enrolment information at key points along the screening pathway 
  • Recording patient consent or opt-out status  

Results, Recalls and Follow-Up 

Nurses and practice coordinators will often be the ones tracking and scheduling next steps after a scan. That may include: 

  • Ensuring patients understand how results will be communicated and managed 
  • Check that investigation results (e.g. low-dose CT reports) have been reviewed by the treating GP and actioned 
  • Ensuring follow-up appointments with the GP are arranged and completed 
  • Entering recall dates for follow-up scans as directed by the GP or specialist 
  • Checking the recall register regularly to identify overdue patients 
  • Coordinating referrals to respiratory specialists once approved by the GP 

Supporting Smoking Cessation Without Pressure 

Participants do not need to quit smoking to be screened, and that message is important. However, many may be more receptive to quitting once they engage in screening. 

Nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers can: 

  • Ask about current tobacco use and interest in reducing or quitting 
  • Provide brief advice and motivational support without judgement 
  • Offer Quitline referrals with informed consent 
  • Provide education about pharmacotherapy options within appropriate scope 
  • Recognise and respect cultural and community views around smoking 
  • Reinforce that any reduction or attempt to quit is a positive step toward improved health outcomes 
  • Acknowledge that quitting often takes several attempts and support patients to re-engage with cessation efforts without judgement 

The screening program is a gateway opportunity for meaningful, patient-centred conversations about lung health. 

Cultural Safety and Reducing Barriers 

Many populations disproportionately affected by lung cancer also face barriers to preventive healthcare, including: 

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 
  • People in rural and remote communities 
  • People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds 
  • People from LGBTIQA+ communities 
  • People with disability
  • People experiencing mental health challenges

Primary care teams can help break down barriers by: 

  • Offering interpreter access where needed 
  • Inviting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and/or Practitioners into conversations 
  • Respecting autonomy and privacy 
  • Bringing a strengths-based approach 
  • Discussing mobile screening options in rural areas 

Patients who feel seen and respected are far more likely to follow through. 

Why Training Matters for Nurses and Care Teams 

Even though many are already supporting screening informally, confidence can vary across practice teams. The Lung Foundation’s free CPD-accredited training helps primary care staff: 

  • Understand eligibility and pathways 
  • Use non-stigmatising, culturally safe language 
  • Navigate the NCSR process 
  • Respond to self-identified participants 
  • Manage follow-up and referrals 
  • Coordinate within multidisciplinary teams 

It’s not just for GPs, anyone involved in lung screening conversations or systems can benefit. 

What’s in It for Primary Care Teams? 

  • Confidence in responding to patient questions 
  • Clear involvement in preventive care delivery 
  • Reduced reliance on GP-only workflows 
  • Stronger patient relationships 
  • Improved recall and follow-up systems 
  • Contribution to early cancer detection 
  • CPD recognition and professional growth 

Your role doesn’t just support the program. It saves lives. 

If you’re part of the primary care workforce and haven’t yet accessed the training, register for the FREE National Lung Cancer Screening Program Health Workforce Education.

Learn more