Lung Diseases: Screening

(asked on 5th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made on the commitment to build on the Right Care programme to reduce variation in quality of spirometry testing across the country; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Seema Kennedy Portrait
Seema Kennedy
This question was answered on 10th June 2019

As set out in the Long Term Plan, an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health Service will take to deliver the commitments and the national activity and support available to systems. The Implementation Framework will assist systems, which will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plan over the summer. NHS England and Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.

As set out in the NHS Planning Guidance, all systems will work with the NHS RightCare programme to implement national priority initiatives for respiratory conditions in 2019/20.

Action will include:

- Expanding the pioneering lung health checks trialled in Manchester and Liverpool, which will identify more cancers quickly and detect other conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and

- Rolling out the NHS RightCare COPD pathway nationally through clinical commissioning groups. This includes timely access to pulmonary rehabilitation as part of the optimal treatment pathway. The pathway provides a set of resources to support local health economies to concentrate their improvement efforts to address variation and improve population health.

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