PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Lung Diseases: Primary Health Care (14 June 2022)

The National Health Service has been asked to restore asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) registers and spirometry checks for adults and children to pre-pandemic levels in 2022/23. The Quality Outcomes Framework for 2022/23 includes respiratory indicators for the diagnosis of asthma and COPD, which was re-instated in April 2022.

Through the GP Contract, general practitioners are incentivised to maintain a register of patients with asthma aged six years old or over. This includes a record of spirometry and one other objective test, such as FeNO or reversibility or variability, between three and six months after diagnosis and within six months of registration for those newly registered with a diagnosis of asthma but no record of objective tests performed at the date of registration.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have established 13 respiratory clinical networks to support pharmacists in Primary Care Networks to undertake a range of medicine reviews. This includes advising patients on the correct use of inhalers and contributing to multidisciplinary working.