Why respiratory health should be a priority at the Spending Review
On 27 October the Chancellor will set out Government spending plans for the next three years. Our Policy & Public Affairs Officer, Essie Mac Eyeson explains why we’re urging him to invest in lung health.
What are the issues?
1 in 5 people in the UK will be diagnosed with a lung condition at some point in their lifetime. Respiratory disease hits the poorest communities the hardest and is a key driver of hospital admissions in the UK. And yet, despite its impact, lung health has been neglected and under-funded for years; and not prioritised in the same way as other major diseases.
Why invest in lung health?
In January 2019, the NHS set out a 10-year plan that included clear targets for improving respiratory health for the first time ever. However, almost 3 years on progress has stalled and there’s now a significant backlog due to the disruption caused by the pandemic. COVID-19 has brought the importance of respiratory health into sharp focus – it is now more important than ever that the Government invests in our lungs.
Getting respiratory services back on track
Even before COVID-19 hit, respiratory services were struggling to deliver for many patients. For instance, an estimated two thirds of people with COPD never received a diagnosis, and most people with asthma were not receiving basic care. NHS England’s Long-Term Plan had ambitions to change this by improving diagnosis, expanding access to pulmonary rehabilitation and helping people access the right medications.
However, the impact of the pandemic on health services has put these ambitions at risk. Respiratory clinicians have been redeployed to COVID wards; key diagnostic tests such as spirometry have been put on hold, with no clear indication as to when they will re-start; and a backlog of patients with Long COVID-related breathlessness risks putting extra pressure on already under-resourced pulmonary rehab services.
While funding to address the NHS backlog was announced in September, we are still awaiting details of how this will be spent and how it will improve diagnosis and treatment for people with respiratory disease. We need to see clear targets for getting the NHS back on track, and a renewed effort to deliver the aspirations of the NHS Long-Term Plan.
Investing in prevention
While hospital admissions for lung disease have risen sharply over the past decade, the rate for respiratory disease increased at three times the rate of all admissions between 2010 and 2017, and these figures are likely to be even more stark for recent years.
To support the long-term sustainability of the NHS, the Government must invest in preventative measures to reduce the burden of respiratory disease. This includes funding for stop smoking services, without which we will fail to meet the Government ambition for England to be smokefree by 2030 (meaning a smoking rate of 5% or less). It also means investment to reduce car use and support local authorities to deliver Clean Air Zones, so that people with lung conditions aren’t forced to breathe toxic air.
Boosting respiratory research
This Spending Review is also an opportunity to revolutionise respiratory research and deliver hope for patients across the country and around the world. Respiratory research has been neglected and under-funded for decades, but the response to COVID-19 has shown us what we can achieve with a clearly set out vision and the right resources. We have the vision. We are asking the UK Government to fund a virtual Institute for Respiratory Research and Innovation that would unite charities, industry and academia around bold new research targets that could transform the way we prevent, diagnose, treat and manage lung conditions for decades to come.
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