Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to restore normal levels of respiratory care.

NHS England and NHS Improvement asked general practice to restore activity to usual levels where clinically appropriate and reach out proactively to clinically vulnerable patients and those whose care may have been delayed.

The cardiovascular disease and respiratory programme focussed its work in 2020/21 on the response to COVID-19 and has spent £5.5 million to support the response to the disease, including work on ‘long COVID-19’. This included bringing forward the implementation of respiratory clinical networks by one year. The networks are vital in promoting an integrated approach to respiratory care during COVID-19, in parallel with supporting delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan’s priorities.