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<p>The Government is committed to improving the lives of those with respiratory disease.</p><p>Respiratory
disease is a clinical priority within the recently published NHS Long Term Plan. This
has the overarching objective of improving outcomes for people with respiratory disease.
The Long Term Plan sets out how the National Health Service will take action in a
number of areas. This includes expanding programmes that support earlier diagnosis
of respiratory disease including the pioneering lung health checks trialled in Manchester
and Liverpool; increasing access to proven treatments such as pulmonary rehabilitation
(a structured exercise and education programme for those with chronic respiratory
disease and breathlessness); and improving support for those with chronic respiratory
diseases such as asthma to receive and use the correct medications.</p><p>The NHS
Long Term Plan will build on a range of existing national initiatives focussed on
the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory disease, some of which are detailed below.</p><p>The
NHS Outcomes Framework sets out the Department’s priority areas for the NHS, and includes
reducing deaths from respiratory disease as a key indicator.</p><p>The National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes quality standards that define best
practice and areas in need of improvement for a range of respiratory illnesses including
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,
with the aim of raising the standard of care that people with these conditions receive.
NICE quality standards cover both diagnosis and treatment.</p><p>The NHS RightCare
COPD pathway is being rolled out nationally through clinical commissioning groups
and 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.</p><p>The
Department and NHS England are supportive of the National Asthma and COPD Audit Programme.
Launched in March 2018 and led by the Royal College of Physicians, this programme
aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with
asthma and COPD by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators.</p><p>Furthermore,
NHS England commissions treatments for rare or complex respiratory conditions through
the Specialised Respiratory Clinical Reference Group, which is chaired by Professor
Mike Morgan. This includes specialist treatment for pulmonary hypertension, idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis and severe asthma among other conditions.</p><p>The Department
also funds research on respiratory illnesses through the National Institute for Health
Research.</p>
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