Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of, and access to, pulmonary rehabilitation services within NHS England.

A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for the eligible population, to increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists, and to improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. In December 2023, commissioning standards for PR services were published by NHS England, setting out key areas for the appropriate provision of PR services. The standards are aimed at integrated care board commissioners. Guidance on developing and growing the PR workforce was published in March 2024.

Data is not currently available at a national level that provides an accurate assessment of the level of eligible need for PR, and the degree to which this is being met. NHS England is working in partnership with experts in the field to explore ways to assess eligible need. This is part of the work to provide systems with the data and the information they need to best meet the needs of their populations, which continues to be a key priority.

National Respiratory Audit Programme data shows that the number of people completing PR in 2023/24 exceeded pre-pandemic levels, those between 2019 and 2020, an important milestone in post-pandemic service recovery.