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Written Question
Asthma: Health Services
Friday 11th July 2025

Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide people with asthma with Personalised Asthma Action Plans.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the British Thoracic Society (BTS), and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) published the guideline Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management in November 2024, which covers diagnosing, monitoring, and managing asthma in adults, young people, and children. The guideline emphasises the importance of personalised asthma action plans (PAAPs) for effective asthma management.

The Department and NHS England welcome the updated guideline and have been engaging with health system partners to support its implementation across the country, including the use of PAAPs.

NHS England’s National bundle of care for children and young people with asthma aims to support integrated care systems to deliver high quality asthma care and has resources available to support the use of PAAPs in children and young people.

NHS England has also been working jointly with the Health Innovation Networks to form a national respiratory partnership to improve asthma outcomes, including through implementation of the collaborative NICE, BTS, and SIGN asthma guideline.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) incentivises use of PAAPs through indicator AST007, which measures the percentage of patients with asthma on the register, who have had an asthma review in the preceding 12 months that includes an assessment of asthma control, a recording of the number of exacerbations, an assessment of inhaler technique, and a written personalised action plan. The latest QOF data shows that for England, the percentage of asthma patients on the register receiving this care has increased from 52.5% in 2021/22 to 64.6% in 2023/24.

According to the QOF data for the end of 2023/24, general practices in the Perry Barr constituency had 5,437 patients on the asthma register. Of these, 4,253 had received an asthma review in the previous 12 months, and 3,361, or 61.8% of patients on the register, had a written personalised asthma plan. Data for this indicator is not broken down by age, and determining these numbers for children would require contacting individual general practices, as they are the data controllers for this patient information.


Further information on the QOF asthma indicators are available on pages 41 to 46 of NHS England’s 2025/26 QOF guidance, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/quality-outcomes-framework-guidance-for-2025-26.pdf


Written Question
Asthma: Health Services
Friday 11th July 2025

Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to incorporate targets to provide asthma sufferers with a Personalised Asthma Action Plan into future iterations of the 10 Year Health Plan for England.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The provision of Personalised Asthma Action Plans is already incentivised by the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicator AST007. This indicator measures the percentage of patients on the asthma register who have had a review in the past 12 months. This review must include:

- an assessment using a validated asthma control questionnaire;

- a record of the number of exacerbations;

- an assessment of inhaler technique; and

- a written personalised asthma plan.

The latest QOF data shows that for England, the percentage of asthma patients on the register receiving this care has increased from 52.5% in 2021/22 to 64.6% in 2023/24.

Further details on the QOF asthma indicators are available on pages 41 to 46 of NHS England’s 2025/26 QOF guidance, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/quality-outcomes-framework-guidance-for-2025-26.pdf

Therefore, there are currently no plans for future iterations of the 10-Year Health Plan for England.


Written Question
Medical Records
Monday 30th June 2025

Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the Health Data Research UK projects that access NHS data where specific project independent review was not received from NHS England's Advisory Group for Data, and what is the current status of those projects.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has a Data Sharing Agreement, project identification code DARS-NIC-381078-Y9C5K, with a consortium of academic organisations in the United Kingdom for the purpose of the Health Data Research UK-led, British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre’s CVD-COVID-UK programme.

This agreement was put in place by NHS Digital prior to its merger with NHS England in 2023, and prior to the establishment of NHS England’s Advisory Group for Data (AGD). The AGD was informed of a Senior Information Risk Owner decision to approve an amendment to the agreement on 22 February 2024.

The agreement was subject to reviews by NHS Digital’s Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data (IGARD) on 25 June 2020, 23 July 2020, 15 October 2020, 3 December 2020, 25 February 2021, 29 July 2021, 29 July 2021, 5 May 2022, and 24 November 2022. It was also subject to advice from the Professional Advisory Group on 24 June 2020 and 28 July 2021.

The agreement allowed the data controllers under that agreement to approve access to National Health Service data for individual projects, subject to approval per project by the CVD-COVID-UK oversight committee, which included a representative of NHS Digital/NHS England. Individual projects were not reviewed by IGARD or the AGD.

Under the terms of the agreement, the CVD-COVID-UK oversight committee is required to maintain a list of projects undertaken under the agreement and provide a quarterly report to NHS Digital/NHS England. The following table lists the projects and their current status from the latest report provided in April 2025:

Secure Data Environment research project reference

Current project status

Project title

CCU001

Live - Data in Use

Investigating the effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers on COVID-19 outcomes

CCU002

Live - Data in Use

SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination and the risk of vascular events

CCU003

Live - Data in Use

Direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD)

CCU004

Live - Data in Use

COVID-19 and CVD risk prediction

CCU005

Live - Data in Use

Data management and analysis methods

CCU007

Live - Data in Use

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on heart disease patients undergoing cardiac surgery

CCU008

Completed

Evaluating impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence and management of risk factors

CCU010

Live - Data in Use

In people with CVD and COVID-19, what is the influence of multi-morbidity on risk of poorer outcomes?

CCU013

Live - Data in Use

High-throughput electronic health record phenotyping approaches

CCU014

Live - Data in Use

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on clinical pathways using a medicines approach

CCU018

Live - Data in Use

COVID-19 infection during pregnancy on CVD and related risk factors

CCU019

Live - Data in Use

Identification and personalised risk prediction for severe COVID-19 in patients with rare disorders impacting cardiovascular health

CCU020

Completed

Evaluation of antithrombotic use and COVID-19 outcomes

CCU022

Live - Data in Use

Genomics of multimorbidity and CVD associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and complications

CCU023

Live - Data in Use

Repurposing medicines used to treat CVD risk to prevent COVID-19

CCU024

Completed

CovPall-Connect. Evaluation of how palliative and end of life care teams have responded to COVID-19: Connecting to boost impact and data assets

CCU028

Live - Data in Use

Coronary revascularisation and outcomes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU029

Live - Data in Use

Child hospital admission with COVID-19: risk factors; risk groups; and NHS care utilisation

CCU030

Live - Data in Use

Examining potential factors underlying the increased risk of severe COVID-19 experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

CCU032

Live - Data in Use

The effects of COVID-19 on heart failure subtypes

CCU035

Completed

Are people with COVID-19 and pre-existing respiratory disease at a higher risk of future cardiovascular and venous thromboembolic events compared with COVID-19 patients without pre-existing respiratory disease?

CCU036

Live - Data in Use

The impact of previous exposure to COVID-19 and the safety of COVID-19 vaccination for fertility and pregnancy outcomes

CCU037

Live - Data in Use

Improving methods to minimise bias in ethnicity data for more representative and generalisable models, using CVD in COVID-19 as an example

CCU038

Live - Data in Use

Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on critical care outcomes

CCU040

Completed

Investigating why some people with diabetes have a greater risk of becoming seriously unwell or dying with COVID-19

CCU043

Live - Data in Use

Investigating new onset diabetes following COVID-19 infection

CCU045

Live - Data in Use

The impact of COVID-19 on heart failure epidemiology, quality of care and outcomes across primary and secondary care

CCU046

Live - Data in Use

Severe mental illness and receipt of acute cardiac care and mortality following myocardial infarction

CCU049

Live - Data in Use

Healthcare utilisation in individuals with Long COVID

CCU051

Completed

Un-vaccination and under-vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in the UK

CCU052

Live - Data in Use

An observational retrospective cohort study describing the changing epidemiology pre, during and post COVID-19 of asthma, interstitial lung disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in England

CCU053

Live - Data in Use

Risks and benefits of treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors and the impact of intercurrent illness with COVID-19

CCU056

Completed

Socio-demographic make-up of patients undergoing surgical and transcatheter aortic valve intervention in England and the impact of COVID-19 on this

CCU057

Live - Data in Use

Risks for mortality in people with severe mental illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU058

Live - Data in Use

COVID-19 impact on the long-term outcomes of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies in people with long-term cardiovascular conditions

CCU059

Completed

Which combinations of multiple long-term conditions are associated with the greatest risk of hospital admission over the winter season, and to what extent does COVID-19 or influenza vaccination modify this risk?

CCU060

Live - Data in Use

Improving characterisation, prediction and intervention for COVID-19 and influenza-related morbidity and mortality

CCU063

Live - Data in Use

The effect of COVID-19 on maternal and paediatric health among individuals whose first language isn’t English and require an interpreter in England: from preconception to adolescence

CCU064

Live - Data in Use

Impact of COVID-19 clinical care pathway changes on gestational diabetes incidence and pregnancy outcomes in England

CCU066

Live - Data in Use

Changes in acute cardiac care of patients with reduced kidney function during the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU068

Completed

The impact of vaccination on the excess clinical risks of COVID-19 in patients with congenital heart disease

CCU069

Live - Data in Use

RARE-CVD-COVID: To understand COVID-19 impact on intersectional disparity in rare versus common cardiometabolic diseases: CVD and metabolic diseases, including diabetes

CCU070

Live - Data in Use

Supporting novel trial designs using healthcare systems data to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on diabetes research

CCU071

Live - Data in Use

A regional approach for policy makers to tackle health inequalities in CVD and its risk factors

CCU072

Live - Data in Use

Influence of COVID-19 on British burden of CVD

CCU073

Live - Data in Use

Impact of COVID-19 on the association between Type 2 diabetes and incidence of CVD

CCU074

Live - Data in Use

Improving the accuracy, equity and efficiency of using healthcare systems data for recruitment to a clinical trial involving people with CVD and diabetes mellitus: a simulation study in the “Covid era” using the CVD‑COVID‑UK dataset

CCU075

Live - Data in Use

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on corticosteroid use and side effects in Takayasu arteritis and ANCA-associated vasculitis in England

CCU076

Live - Data in Use

The effect of COVID-19 infection on cardiovascular outcomes: an interaction analysis with environmental exposure

CCU077

Live - Data in Use

Risk assessment and long-term outcomes of acute coronary syndrome management strategy in cardio-oncology patients before and after the COVID-19 era

CCU078

On hold

Foresight: a generative artificial intelligence model of patient trajectories across the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU079

Live - Data in Use

Investigating the diagnoses of conditions among children in England following SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to general respiratory infections

CCU080

Live - Data in Use

Impact of COVID-19 on the use of cardiovascular imaging

CCU081

Live - Data in Use

Investigating the impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular and thromboembolic events in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and the incidence of connective tissue diseases

CCU082

Live - Data in Use

Pulmonary arterial hypertension in repaired congenital heart disease: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prevalence; late diagnosis; and outcomes

CCU083

Live - Data in Use

Trends in choice of management strategy for NSTE-ACS among patients with previous bypass surgery before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU084

Live - Data in Use

Impact of COVID-19 on stroke incidence, severity, aetiology, management, and outcome in younger versus older individuals in England

CCU085

Live - Data in Use

STROKE-IMPACT: What are the long-term consequences of stroke on the patient and to the NHS, and how does COVID-19 contribute to variation?

CCU086

Live - Data in Use

A data landscape review of datasets used in the surveillance of neurological complications of COVID-19

CCU087

Live - Data in Use

The impact of COVID-19 on heart failure outcomes: the moderation roles of diabetes and obesity

CCU088

Live - Data in Use

The impact of COVID-19 on the management of iron deficiency, with or without anaemia, in primary and secondary care

CCU089

Live - Data in Use

The impact of comorbidity, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity on waiting times for surgery before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU090

Live - Data in Use

The impact of cardiac rehabilitation following transcatheter aortic valve implantation before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU092

Live - Data in Use

Simulation modelling of CVD development and management, identifying the extent to which COVID-19 has impacted on the assessment and treatment of CVD.

CCU093

Live - Data in Use

Understanding the relationship between diabetes and the development of multiple long-term conditions in England, Scotland, and Wales during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

CCU094

Live - Data in Use

Identifying preventative opportunities for coronary heart disease and stroke in multi-ethnic patients with non-cardiovascular conditions including COVID-19

CCU095

Live - Data in Use

Quantifying and mitigating bias and health inequalities induced by clinical risk models predicting COVID-19-related risks of people with CVD and diabetes.

CCU096

Live - Data in Use

Impact of COVID-19 on obesity and risks of cardio-renal-metabolic outcomes

CCU097

Live - Data in Use

Drivers, consequences and the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on severe hyperglycaemia at type 2 diabetes diagnosis

CCU100

Live - Data in Use

Impact of COVID-19 on fatty liver disease and cardiovascular outcomes in England, across ethnicities and social deprivation

CCU101

Live - Data in Use

Lung-Pal-Equity: To identify patterns in use of hospital services in the last year of life for those with advanced lung disease and to examine inequalities by socio-economic group, including before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic


The status of project CCU078 has been updated to reflect that NHS England paused the project on 29 May. Further detail on the projects is published on the British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre’s website.


Written Question
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Diagnosis
Friday 20th June 2025

Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to identify (a) undiagnosed patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and (b) COPD patients who are managed in primary care that should have their management escalated to specialist care in Greater Manchester ICB.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a clinical priority and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.

The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity.

A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population; increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists; and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% of patients who complete a programme.

Within NHS Greater Manchester, action being taken to address COPD includes:

- improving equity of access to diagnostic spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide, particularly for disadvantaged population groups;

- increasing capacity and reducing waiting times for pulmonary rehabilitation services;

- increasing vaccination uptake and focusing on secondary prevention of pneumonia;

- running smoking cessation services; and

- introducing a respiratory standard to improve quality in general practice in managing COPD.

This standard utilises a tool to identify patients with COPD who are at the highest risk and asks practices to do an enhanced review and management of these patients to help manage their COPD better.

Data on the average time to diagnosis of COPD following patient contact with their general practitioner (GP) is not available. COPD diagnosis typically involves a spirometry test, and data related to such tests may be available at the level of individual GP practices and secondary care providers but is not yet routinely collected in national datasets or in Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Furthermore, the test is also used in the diagnosis of other respiratory conditions, not just COPD.


Written Question
Respiratory Diseases
Friday 20th June 2025

Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)

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 implications for his policies of the report by Asthma Lung UK entitled Lung conditions kill more people in the UK than anywhere in Western Europe, published on 28 February 2022.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The report from Asthma + Lung UK highlights the relatively high mortality rate in the United Kingdom from lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. It asks for better and faster diagnosis, new treatments, new technology, and more action on prevention. These are consistent with the Government’s policies and priorities.

The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.

This will support earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, can further help prevent lung conditions.

On COPD and asthma specifically, the NHS is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes through early diagnosis including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.

The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity. A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% of patients who complete a programme.


Written Question
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Diagnosis
Friday 20th June 2025

Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time is for a patient to receive a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) following initial contact with their GP for respiratory illness symptoms in (a) Greater Manchester ICB and (b) England in weeks.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a clinical priority and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.

The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity.

A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population; increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists; and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% of patients who complete a programme.

Within NHS Greater Manchester, action being taken to address COPD includes:

- improving equity of access to diagnostic spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide, particularly for disadvantaged population groups;

- increasing capacity and reducing waiting times for pulmonary rehabilitation services;

- increasing vaccination uptake and focusing on secondary prevention of pneumonia;

- running smoking cessation services; and

- introducing a respiratory standard to improve quality in general practice in managing COPD.

This standard utilises a tool to identify patients with COPD who are at the highest risk and asks practices to do an enhanced review and management of these patients to help manage their COPD better.

Data on the average time to diagnosis of COPD following patient contact with their general practitioner (GP) is not available. COPD diagnosis typically involves a spirometry test, and data related to such tests may be available at the level of individual GP practices and secondary care providers but is not yet routinely collected in national datasets or in Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Furthermore, the test is also used in the diagnosis of other respiratory conditions, not just COPD.


Written Question
Heart Diseases: Diagnosis
Thursday 5th June 2025

Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NT-proBNP testing is implemented in Community Diagnostic Centres.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NT-proBNP is a well-established blood test used across the National Health Service in the detection of heart failure. All standard and large model community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are required to offer blood tests via a phlebotomy service, and the majority of spoke model CDCs also offer this service.

All NHS pathology networks have laboratories that are equipped to provide results for these blood tests.

14 CDCs are also currently able to provide NT-proBNP blood tests as a point of care test (POCT), where results can be assessed on site while patients wait, allowing patients to get results on the same day. NHS England is working with CDCs to expand the number offering this test as a POCT test.

NHS England has also released guidance to increase the use of NT-proBNP tests as a triage tool for referral to echocardiography services. The guidance has been published, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/enhancing-gp-direct-access-to-diagnostic-tests-for-patients-with-suspected-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-asthma-or-heart-failure/


Written Question
Diagnosis
Wednesday 14th May 2025

Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to streamline diagnostics pathways for (a) companion and (b) other diagnostics.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, announced that the integrated care boards (ICBs) will make optimal use of the new diagnostic capacity by implementing the new standards for community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and hospital-based diagnostic services, in particular increasing direct referrals and rolling out at least 10 straight-to-test pathways by March 2026.

To date, NHS England has agreed three national CDC diagnostic pathways which ICBs will be expected to implement by March 2026. These are: breathlessness; children and young people’s asthma; and unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy.

NHS England is working with clinicians to best determine other priority straight to test pathways, including in CDCs. Implementation of these pathways will deliver the expectations in the Elective Reform Plan for significant elective care reform to be delivered in at least five specialties, those being: ear nose and throat; gastroenterology; respiratory; urology; and cardiology. Wider clinical pathway optimisation work will also centre around these specialities.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.  The plan will also look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments.


Written Question
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services
Friday 9th May 2025

Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS is taking to help improve the (a) early detection and (b) treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a clinical priority, and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis, including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.

The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity.

A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to pulmonary rehabilitation for the eligible population, increase the capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists, and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increasing the quality of life in 90% of the patients who complete a programme.


Written Question
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services
Thursday 8th May 2025

Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle health inequalities linked to the (a) diagnosis and (b) management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a clinical priority and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis and increased access to treatments.

The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity

A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population; increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists; and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% patients who complete a programme.

The NHS England Core20PLUS5 approach strives to inform action that targets the most deprived 20% of the population and other inclusion health groups, with the aim of reducing health inequalities. The approach focuses on improving the 5 clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement, namely cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory, maternity and mental health outcomes, in the poorest 20 percent of the population, along with other disadvantaged population groups identified at a local level.

Within NHS Greater Manchester, steps to address health inequalities linked to COPD include: improving equity of access to diagnostic spirometry and FeNO, particularly for disadvantaged population groups; increasing capacity and reducing waiting times for pulmonary rehabilitation services; increasing vaccination uptake and focusing on secondary prevention of pneumonia; running smoking cessation services; and introducing a respiratory standard to improve quality in general practice in managing COPD.

This standard utilises a tool to identify patients with COPD who are at the highest risk and asks practices to do an enhanced review and management of these patients to help manage their COPD better.