Taskforce for Lung Health

We welcome DHSC’s announcement that an RSV vaccination programme for older adults and pregnant women will be rolled out from 1 September 2024 in England. Each year RSV is responsible for over 30,000 hospitalisations under-fives and the death of 20 to 30 infants. It also causes 9000 hospitalisations for older adults aged over 75. These new vaccines will protect the most vulnerable from RSV, helping to save lives and ease winter NHS pressures. https://lnkd.in/gjPwnSnk

The National Respiratory Audit Programme (NRAP), which is led by the Royal College of Physicians, has published their Breathing Well Report, examining asthma and COPD care in hospitals. This report found that too few patients with COPD and asthma receive timely access to key treatments and support while in the hospital. This report highlights a number of recommendations for commissioners and providers. These include ensuring all people who smoke have access to tobacco dependency services, improving access to self-management plans to keep people well following an exacerbation, ensuring timely access to pulmonary rehabilitation services and increasing participation so that all eligible services enter data in NRAP. Please read the full findings here: https://bit.ly/3zmnWIb

We welcome the Government's announcement that RSV vaccination programmes will be rolled out for pregnant women and older adults. RSV infections cause significant pressures on the NHS and account for more GP appointments, hospitalisations and deaths than flu in children under five. It is now critical that both RSV vaccines are deployed swiftly to protect the most vulnerable.

The Taskforce's latest policy paper explores inhaler recycling. 73 million inhalers are prescribed annually, with inhalers accounting for 3% of the NHS's total carbon emissions. This paper makes key recommendations for how to build a national inhaler recycling scheme that helps protect the environment and is accessible for patients. Please read a blog on this policy paper here: https://lnkd.in/ecmVcSJj

On Wednesday, we were at the House of Commons for an event in partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Respiratory Health. The event was held to mark ten years since the Royal College of Physicians National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) report. Dr Mark Levy, Clinical Lead of the NRAD report spoke about the problems that still remain since the report. Our new analysis shows that asthma deaths have increased by almost 25% since 2014. Dr Jonathan Fuld, National Clinical Director for Respiratory Disease and Tom Keith-Roach, AstraZeneca UK President also spoke at the event, along with our CEO Sarah Sleet. Special thanks to Terri who spoke about her experience with the condition and how it has affected her. Terri is a respiratory activist, serving as a patient representative for Taskforce for Lung Health. We are calling on the government to introduce national targets to end preventable asthma deaths. We want to see sufficient dedicated funding to implement the upcoming NICE - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and British Thoracic Society (BTS) asthma guidelines ensuring everyone with the condition receives vital basic care.

We have sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care calling on the Government to take urgent action to address the asthma mortality rate within the UK. This letter marks 10 years since the publication of the National Review of Asthma Deaths, which found that the majority of asthma deaths are preventable. In the last decade, 12,000 people with asthma have lost their lives, with four people dying from asthma every day. There has been too little progress made in the last 10 years and people with asthma still struggle to get the basic care they need to manage their condition. In our letter, we urge the Government to create a National Respiratory Action Plan and introduce national targets to end preventable asthma deaths. You can read the full letter here: https://lnkd.in/e-Fg5ynW

The ABPI in partnership with the NHS Confederation has published a report which outlines how the NHS can embrace a culture of innovation. Respiratory conditions are the third biggest cause of death in the UK. However, respiratory research only accounts for 1.8% of all charitable and public funding spent on health research. To transform the care of people living with respiratory conditions we need to stimulate a favourable environment for respiratory research and development. If these recommendations provided in the report were fully implemented, it would save and change people’s lives with lung diseases.   You can read the full report here: Embracing innovation can improve care and ease NHS pressures (abpi.org.uk)

We would like to offer our congratulations to Professor Steve Turner, who has been appointed as the new President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Professor Turner is a consultant paediatrician at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, and he was previously the RCPCH Scotland Officer. Children are at the highest risk of severe outcomes due to acute respiratory infections and chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma. Shockingly, the UK has among the highest asthma mortality rates in Europe for children and young people. The Taskforce will continue to work with the RCPCH to transform the care of children and young people living with lung diseases. 

Our member the British Thoracic Society (BTS) has published a clinical statement which provides a pragmatic framework to help hospital clinicians create effective plans to help patients quit smoking. Smoking continues to be the largest cause of chronic respiratory conditions, with around 1 million patients admitted to hospitals for care being dependent on tobacco products. Shockingly, 35% of all deaths from respiratory conditions are linked to smoking. The implementation of this framework will ensure that patients can access effective smoking cessation support in hospitals, helping to reduce mortality for patients with lung diseases. You can read the full statement here: https://lnkd.in/dTg4_ciV

We welcome the announcement that our member Asthma + Lung UK are launching a new Respiratory Champions pilot programme in England. This pilot is supported by AstraZeneca and will select a senior healthcare leader as a Respiratory Champion in 6 different ICBs. At first, this programme will focus on improving outcomes for people with asthma and COPD. This is an exciting opportunity to ensure that lung health is prioritised across England and that people living with chronic respiratory disease can access high quality care. If this pilot is successful, it will be expanded to more ICBs and into the devolved nations.