By Baroness Thornton - 17th November 2010
The government must "make resources available" for the treatment of a serious lung disease, urges Baroness Thornton.
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is the only major cause of death whose incidence is on the increase, and it is expected to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020 (exceeded only by heart disease and stroke).
It is currently the fifth-biggest killer in the UK, with an estimated 3.7 million sufferers. One person dies every 20 minutes from COPD in England and Wales. COPD means that you can't breathe properly, it is incurable and degenerative.
Why does this horrible disease not receive more attention?
Some might say because of prejudice – its sufferers are often smokers or ex-smokers. But smoking is not by any means the only cause, 25 per cent have never smoked. However, working class people are definitely over-represented in the numbers of COPD sufferers, and perhaps until recently the condition has lacked champions.
Early and correct diagnosis is vital in preventing people from dying prematurely, and to prevent repeated hospital admissions through lack of support and self-management of the disease. This is an expensive disease for the NHS and for the sufferers, who almost always have to stop work.
The British Lung Foundation has been leading the campaign with the other 'breathing' charities to change this situation, and has been working with the DH since 2005 to create a coherent strategy to combat COPD.
My question to the government is why it cannot pick up where Labour left off and make resources available for the full implementation of the clinical strategy for COPD.
The strategy will outline minimum standards of treatment and care that people with COPD can expect to receive in their local area. It will include guidance on the provision of pulmonary rehabilitation, early and accurate diagnosis, and the prevention of COPD.
Baroness Thornton is to ask the government 'When they will implement the National Clinical Strategy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.'
Read our interview with Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation.
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