Client story: National Lung Cancer Screening Program

Department of Health, Disability and Ageing – National Lung Cancer Screening Program 

The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP), is a significant government initiative that needed to be designed, developed, and implemented in under two years. The NLCSP was announced in the May 2023 Federal Budget.  This program is led by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing in partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and Cancer Australia. Its aim is to promote early detection of lung cancer for eligible participants.

An important program with a tight deadline

Having previously supported the department with other activities, RSM’s appropriate blend of assurance and project management services – delivered through a tailored and flexible approach – was again selected to guide delivery from establishment and planning through to national implementation.

Operating within a tight timeframe and requiring precise coordination across legislative, clinical, technical and communications domains, RSM’s team set out to support the successful delivery of the project on time and within budget. The program has since launched successfully, received a top-tier internal audit rating, and gained very positive feedback from stakeholders. 

Delivering a complex program from planning to completion

RSM’s team began by engaging with a variety of stakeholders and developing a series of high quality and fit-for-purpose deliverables that aligned with the department’s project management framework. 
Working as an embedded member of the team, we quickly established strong relationships built on trust and transparency. This embedded approach also allowed us to help create and maintain relevant program control documents, rather than giving the department’s team more to manage internally. 
Throughout the project, we pre-empted and recommended approaches to support the streamlined progression of the program throughout all stages of the program lifecycle. In compliance with the department’s risk management framework, program and project risk assessment and management, as well as fraud and corruption risk assessment were carefully embedded at every phase  of the program.

We also supported clarity in financial reporting and forecasting so resources could be planned and managed effectively.

We assessed business readiness for the launch by prioritising, monitoring, and reporting on completeness to provide executive and stakeholder confidence that the launch was achievable. Towards the launch of the program, we supported the completion of an internal audit which provided an extra layer of confidence that the program could launch on time. 

A successful launch with meaningful impact

The program successfully launched on 1 July 2025 – on time, within budget, and with no significant issues. 

RSM’s team had successfully supported all phases of the program lifecycle including design, planning, implementation, and closure.

This included:

• Effective collaboration and stakeholder buy-in (from inside and outside of government) through structured requirements-gathering workshops and developing governance frameworks.
• Successful orchestration of implementation partners across different delivery components, each with dependencies and interlinked outcomes.
• Application of relevant frameworks and processes to ensure alignment with the department’s internal practices and unique requirements.
• Development and maintenance of artefacts including program logic; program and project master schedules; risk and issues, fraud and corruption risks; stakeholder engagement, benefits, decisions, and actions registers; assurance and program and project management plans; and project status reports including regular health checks.
• High quality program documentation aligned with best practice.
• Ongoing mentoring of departmental staff so they can sustain governance practices independently.

“We would not be in the fantastic position we are today without the team from RSM. They have been an incredible asset and have done continuously amazing work. Their initiative, innovation, pace, and thoroughness are unparalleled. RSM have provided significant support on this project and we would highly recommend their services.”