Respiratory Health

Debate between Chris Bloore and Adam Jogee

Thursday 14th November 2024 Westminster Hall

[Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

I start by joining the tributes to His Majesty the King on behalf of my constituents in Newcastle-under-Lyme as he marks his birthday today. It is excellent to see my hon. Friend the Minister in her position. I think it is the first time I have had a chance to speak when she has been on the Front Bench. It is very good to see her. I am also pleased to see that the shadow Minister’s brace has gone—evidence of the wonder of our national health service.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate. I congratulate the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) on leading it and on his opening remarks. He clearly enjoyed the lack of time limit, and probably the typo in the Order Paper that said that the debate would last for three hours. I thank him for his contribution. I should declare an interest: my wife is a deputy sister in an intensive care unit. I remain in full admiration of her and all her colleagues who work in our national health service on a daily basis.

My constituency is in the middle of our country, and air quality is one of the most important issues experienced by my constituents and one of the most frequently raised with me. It was with that in mind that I was delighted to host the Asthma and Lung UK reception in Parliament this Tuesday, where it launched its new report, “A Mission for Lung Health”. I encourage all colleagues present, all Members across the House and all those watching at home to read that report.

Air quality and respiratory health are some of the most important issues experienced by my constituents. The hon. Member for Strangford highlighted the fact that respiratory conditions are the third biggest killer in the United Kingdom, and one in five of us will be diagnosed with a lung condition in our lifetime. Colleagues will have heard me talk about the disgraceful Walleys Quarry landfill site in my constituency. For far too long, the operators have got away with doing whatever they want and leaving our town smothered by the most horrendous levels of hydrogen sulphide emitting from the site.

The levels of hydrogen sulphide have had an undeniable impact on the respiratory health of my constituents. I came down to London on Monday and will be heading back to my constituency shortly. I have had many reports from constituents back home that the levels have been horrendous this week. For us in Newcastle-under-Lyme, the fight for clean air is personal and it is constant. As I have the opportunity of the Floor, I make it clear again and reiterate to the Environment Agency, if it is listening: we need it to issue a closure notice with immediate effect to Walleys Quarry Ltd. We need to cap the site and restore it safely and swiftly.

[Chris Bloore]

rose—

[Adam Jogee]

I will happily give way to my hon. Friend from the west midlands.

[Chris Bloore]

Yes, the west midlands posse is here. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his work to draw attention to the disgraceful scenes at Walleys Quarry. We are having a conversation about the health of the nation, in particular air quality and the impact on respiratory health, and there is no doubt in my mind that the years of lack of action on that site have had an impact on people’s health. That cannot be allowed to continue.

[Adam Jogee]

We are on the way to getting my constituents the justice they deserve. I thank my hon. Friend for his support for our efforts, which have been led by many of my brilliant constituents, Dr Mick Salt, Lee Bernadette Walford, Simmo Burgess, Sheelagh Casey-Hulme and many others, who have been fighting hard. I could list many people. They did not all necessarily vote for me, but they have played an important role in helping to clean our air and save lives.

In recent weeks, there has been a pretty furious rush on behalf of the borough council and an increase in demands placed on the new Government. That is all well and good, but as far as I can see, little representation seems to have been made by the borough council to the previous Government, or indeed to Staffordshire county council. The only theme among all three of those institutions is that they are led by politicians of the same party. My message to my constituents is that change has come, and I am determined to ensure that that change delivers.

I hope that, after the profit-over-people approach of the operators at Walleys Quarry, we do not see that politics over people has prevented the site being closed and the respiratory health of my constituents being protected and enhanced. I will be grateful for an update from the Minister on what cross-departmental work has taken place in Government on such issues.

Access to diagnostic testing for respiratory conditions is in dire need of reform, and the example and experiences of my constituents prove that well. Access to spirometry testing for lung conditions, in particular since the covid-19 pandemic, has been a slow and painful process for too many people across the country. It is estimated that in our United Kingdom, more than 600,000 people live with undiagnosed COPD; the hon. Member for Strangford touched on that.

Even when restrictive respiratory conditions are suspected or diagnosed, people are waiting far too long for care. The latest NHS data shows that in August almost 5,000 people in Staffordshire—4,963, to be exact—were waiting beyond the national target of 18 weeks to be seen by a respiratory doctor. That is a little more than 50% of all patients referred for treatment. Although that is higher than the national average, it is sadly not an uncommon figure. It needs to change.

When patients are diagnosed with a respiratory condition, the quality of care they receive often does not meet the standards set by NICE. Asthma and Lung UK, to which I pay tribute for all its work, has found that 70% of those living with asthma are not receiving all three aspects of basic care, and that the care received by more than 90% of those with COPD does not meet the five fundamentals required by NICE.

People living with undiagnosed and poorly managed lung conditions are more susceptible to environmental factors such as air pollution, wintry weather and poor-quality housing, all of which, sadly, are applicable to the communities and people who live in the areas surrounding Walleys Quarry in Newcastle-under-Lyme. I would be grateful if the Minister took some time today—I am happy to talk at another time, too—to discuss strengthening the powers and scope of the UK Health Security Agency, because although it has an important role to play, most of that role is currently advisory.

As colleagues have highlighted—the hon. Member for Strangford certainly did—lung conditions are more strongly associated with deprivation than any other major health condition. Sadly, the result of these combined factors is clear and, as the hon. Member noted, respiratory conditions are the largest driver of A&E admissions each winter. Thousands of people living with undiagnosed and poorly managed respiratory conditions end up in A&E, adding even more strain to a national health service that is already under strain.

Last year, across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent integrated care board, 3,765 people were admitted to hospital in an emergency due to a lung condition. Yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care reiterated this new Labour Government’s ambition to reform our national health service, but it is clear that that will not be achieved without prioritising respiratory health and care. That is entirely in line with the shifting focuses: from treatment to prevention, which has my full support; and from hospital to community care, where most respiratory care happens anyway. The Department should introduce a recovery fund of over £40 million over two years to increase the availability of testing. I know that is a big ask and I understand the financial pressures, but it would result in savings of £80 million for the national health service in reduced exacerbations, as well as a reduction of 85,474 hospital bed days.

Lastly, I want to touch on the link between waste crime and respiratory health. This morning, I received an email from Councillor Robert Bettley-Smith, the chair of Betley parish council in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Although he is in a different party from mine, I appreciate the spirit in which he works with me as we seek to serve the people who elected us. Councillor Bettley-Smith noted the continuing activity on the land at Doddlespool Hall farm in my constituency. I will not go into all the detail, but the link between waste crime and the disposal of waste generally has a huge impact on respiratory health. Councillor Bettley-Smith noted that, apart from the waste issue, there appears to be evidence, based on smoke and smell, that tyres or similar materials are being burned, and have been burned in the last week or so. The failures to regulate the waste sector under the previous Government must be put right by this new one, and I look forward to working with Ministers across Government to do exactly that.

There is a financial issue here, an environmental one and of course a health one too. I urge the excellent Minister to ensure that respiratory health is prioritised in the forthcoming 10-year plan for our beloved national health service and, importantly, in the upcoming review of the long-term workforce plan. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Strangford for introducing this debate, and I look forward to working with him, with the Minister and with colleagues across the House on these issues in the months and years ahead.