Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Core20PLUS5 programme will increase the number of disease management reviews for at-risk COPD patients.

The Core20PLUS5 programme will not directly increase the number of disease management reviews for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, there has been significant engagement with National Health Service health and care staff through the Core20PLUSConnectors programmes, raising awareness of the importance of offering COVID-19, flu and pneumonia vaccinations as part of ongoing disease management reviews.

Increasing the uptake of COVID-19, flu, and pneumonia vaccination through the Core20PLUS5 approach will improve population health and reduce acute, infective exacerbations of COPD. It will also reduce emergency admissions, accident and emergency attendances and subsequent elective respiratory follow up care. This will increase capacity in urgent and emergency care, improve the flow of patients through hospitals and shift care towards primary care chronic disease management.