Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve care for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

NHS England commissions services for patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) as part of its specialised services remit. Its respiratory interstitial lung disease (adult) specification, which includes IPF, sets out what it expects to be in place in order for providers to offer evidence based, safe and effective services. It is available on the NHS England website at:

http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a14-respiratory-inters-lung.pdf

This specification is currently being updated to ensure it includes the most up to date guidance on IPF including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standards published in January 2015.

The quality dashboards for specialised respiratory services commissioned by NHS England include metrics specific to IPF so it will be possible to ensure that the standard of care is uniform across centres in England. These dashboards are a key tool in monitoring the quality of services, enabling comparison between service providers and supporting improvements over time in the outcomes of services commissioned by NHS England.

Not all aspects of care for IPF are covered by direct commissioning. For example, rehabilitation, oxygen services and acute admissions for exacerbations will be covered by local commissioning arrangements. Work continues at a local level to develop appropriate care pathways for IPF patients to ensure joined up commissioning of the specialist and non-specialist components of IPF management.

NICE quality standards set out markers of high quality care in a particular disease or service area, and are designed to drive up standards of care and to reduce inequalities and variation.

In June 2013, NICE published its clinical guideline on IPF, offering evidence based advice to support clinicians in diagnosing and managing patients with the condition.

Treatment is covered by the NICE guideline on IPF and the subsequent supplement on perfenidone. NICE published technology appraisal guidance in January 2016 recommending the drug nintedanib as an option for patients with IPF meeting specific clinical criteria.