Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve the (a) availability and (b) quality of data on respiratory health.
Chronic respiratory diseases are the third biggest contributor to Years of Life Lost in England. The annual economic burden of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the National Health Service in the United Kingdom is estimated as £3 billion and £1.9 billion, respectively. In total, all lung conditions, including lung cancer, directly cost the NHS in the UK £11 billion annually. Further information is available at the following link:
NHS England is working alongside a range of organisations with an interest in respiratory data, including Asthma and Lung UK, Health Data Research UK, and the British Thoracic Society, and have developed a collective vision for the future of high-quality respiratory data. The vision is due to be finalised in October 2024 and is supported by a working group of key stakeholders to take forward.