PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Respiratory Diseases: Health Services (5 September 2024)

NHS England is committed to improving outcomes for people with respiratory conditions, particularly through early and accurate diagnosis, which is a priority area under the NHS Long Term Plan.

A key component of an early and accurate diagnosis for a number of respiratory conditions, including pulmonary fibrosis, is the provision of quality assured spirometry. Additional funding has been made available to systems in 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25.

NHS England has worked with a range of partners, including Asthma and Lung UK, the British Thoracic Society, the Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology, and clinical network leads, to develop a package for systems containing the information and support required to help increase the number of people receiving early and accurate diagnosis for respiratory disease.​

NHS England is investing in additional diagnostic capacity for respiratory pathways as part of the £2.3 billion 2021 Spending Review capital investment in diagnostics. Community Diagnostic Centres are being established to deliver additional, digitally connected diagnostic capacity in England, providing patients with a coordinated set of diagnostic tests in the community, in as few visits as possible, enabling an accurate and fast diagnosis on a range of clinical pathways, including people with chronic respiratory disease.