Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what early intervention measures and improvements to 'continuity of care' for patients with chronic respiratory conditions were adopted between 2010 and 2019 in England.

A series of early intervention measures and improvements to continuity of care were adopted between 2010 and 2019.

In 2011, the Department’s outcomes strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma set out an objective to reduce the number of people with COPD who die prematurely. This was through a proactive approach to early identification, diagnosis and intervention, and proactive care and management at all stages of the disease. The outcomes strategy for COPD and asthma is attached.

In 2013, a guide to performing quality assured diagnostic spirometry was produced. The foreword of the guide says that around a quarter of people on general practice COPD registers did not meet the diagnostic criteria for COPD, and it could be that misdiagnosis occurred because much of the diagnostic spirometry performed failed to meet the essential quality standards. The guide was published to support accurate diagnosis of respiratory conditions. This guide is attached.

Developed in 2017, the NHS RightCare COPD pathway defines the core components of an optimal service for people with COPD. This includes timely access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation as part of the optimal treatment pathway and timely diagnosis as part of the pathway which help with early intervention measures.

The final measure adopted in this period was The National Asthma and COPD Audit Programme which was launched in March 2018 and is led by the Royal College of Physicians. The aims of this programme are to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD by collecting and providing data on a range of quality improvement indicators.