Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring people with lung conditions are given an annual (a) review and (b) medication check.

Annual reviews, including reviews of medication, play a key role in the ongoing management of people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). They are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), playing a core part in its guidance for the diagnosis and management of asthma and COPD. Further information on the NICE’s guidance for the diagnosis and management asthma and COPD is available respectively at the following two links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng80

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng115

The majority of patients with COPD and asthma are managed by general practitioners and members of the primary care team, with onward referrals to secondary care where required, and so the provision of annual reviews is incentivised in primary care through the Quality and Outcomes Framework. There are specific indicators for annual reviews for both COPD and asthma within this framework, specifically sections COPD010 and AST007. The Quality and outcomes framework guidance for 2024/25 is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/quality-and-outcomes-framework-guidance-for-2024-25/

The NICE is currently reviewing its guideline for the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of chronic asthma, and an updated version is due to be published in November 2024. Based on the draft that has been published for consultation, we anticipate annual reviews will remain a recommended core component of the ongoing management of people with asthma.