Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle workforce shortages in respiratory care and (b) ensure (i) GPs and (ii) their teams have access to (A) training and (B) accreditation for (1) spirometry and (2) other diagnostic tests.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills, including for respiratory care, will be central to this vision.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) sets the postgraduate curriculum for general practitioners (GPs) and ensures it remains up to date. All GPs must cover the curriculum before they are able to pass the examination to become a member of the RCGP and to work independently as a GP.

NHS England provides a wide range of resources to the NHS via the eLearning for Healthcare platform, including a respiratory diseases toolkit on the prevention and management of respiratory conditions, and diagnostic tests such as spirometry.