‘The NHS is neglecting lung disease sufferers’

May 27, 2016

British Lung Foundation found 5 people are diagnosed every 5 minutes
This adds up to around 115,000 deaths and 550,000 diagnoses each year
Treatment for lung problems lags far behind care for other diseases
Charity said this amounts to ‘systemic neglect’ of lung disease in NHS

Ben Spencer, Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Published:
01:00 EST, 27 May 2016

|
Updated:
01:45 EST, 27 May 2016

View
comments

Thousands of people with lung disease are suffering ‘systemic neglect’ by the NHS, experts have warned.

The first major audit in a decade of treatment for lung conditions has revealed that breathing-related illness is far more widespread than previously thought.

One person dies and five more are diagnosed with lung disease every five minutes, according to the report by the British Lung Foundation.

This adds up to around 115,000 deaths and 550,000 diagnoses each year.

Only heart disease and cancer affect more people. Despite this, the charity said, treatment for lung problems lags far behind what is available for other conditions.

Thousands of people with lung disease are suffering ‘systemic neglect’ by the NHS, the British Lung Foundation has warned. One person dies and five more are diagnosed with lung disease every five minutes

Though lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia are among the UK’s six most lethal diseases they are poorly understood and underfunded, the report authors said.

They argued that the impact on the NHS of diseases which also include asthma and cystic fibrosis is equal to, or even greater than, the impact of cardiovascular disease.

Lung conditions lead to more than 700,000 hospital admissions and six million hospital bed days every year.

Is this the end of the road for antibiotics? Superbug…

Babies DO sleep better if you leave them to cry: Letting…

Why is there no cure for Alzheimer’s? Scientists have…

Would YOU go through this for clear skin? Watch the horrific…

But while treatment and survival rates for heart problems and non-lung cancer have vastly improved in recent years the number of people dying from lung disease has barely changed in the last decade.

Only three European countries – Denmark, Romania and Hungary – have higher death rates from lung conditions than the UK, according to the authors.

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the BLF, said: ‘Systemic neglect of lung disease, from NHS structures to screening, data collection and research funding, means people affected are being left behind by UK healthcare institutions.’

Though lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia are among the UK’s six most lethal diseases they are poorly understood and underfunded, the report authors said

The Royal College of Physicians also backed the charity. Professor Stephen Holgate, its special adviser on air quality, said: ‘Urgent action to prevent lung disease is needed and a good start would be joined-up action to clean up the air we breathe.’

Dr Lisa Davies, chairman of the British Thoracic Society’s executive committee, also backed the report, saying: ‘This report is yet another wake-up call for politicians and policy makers to get a grip of the problem and prioritise plans and investment to improve the nation’s lung health.

‘The millions of people living with lung disease in the UK deserve nothing less.’

A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We take lung disease very seriously and the NHS has a duty to provide good services for people with the condition. To support this, NIHR funding for research has increased to £25.5million.

‘Cutting smoking rates is one of the key ways we work to prevent lung disease. That is why we have taken bold action such as introducing standardised packaging for cigarettes, making it illegal to smoke in a car with a child and covering tobacco products in shops.’