Improving Care For Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, UK

Main Category: COPD
Article Date: 02 Jul 2006 - 23:00 PDT

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A new National Service Framework (NSF) will be developed to improve standards of care and increase choice for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) announced the Secretary of State for Health Patricia Hewitt today.

The proposed NSF for COPD patients, those suffering from diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, would seek to:

Provide more choice in treatment for patients Reduce inequalities in treatment, which can vary across the country, and Improve standards of care for patients.

Speaking about plans for the new NSF, Patricia Hewitt said:

"The development of a new National Service Framework is an important step which will support the NHS in managing and delivering COPD services more effectively, in a way that supports patient choice. It will support improvements in standards, tackle the current inequalities in COPD care and ensure that patients are able to access the services they need, where and when they want them."

Launching the plans at a British Thoracic Society event in the House of Commons, Health Services minister Rosie Winterton said: "There are currently around three million people suffering from COPD in this country and 30,000 people each year die because of this disease. Whilst there are many examples of new and innovative approaches in COPD care in some areas, best practice is not always followed and there is considerable variation in COPD services across the country. It is clear that more needs to be done to ensure that all patients suffering from this debilitating disease are given the standards of care they deserve."

Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation, welcomed the announcement. She said: "This is a huge step forward for the millions of people with COPD in England. Our hope is that everyone with COPD will benefit from the disease being made a priority for the NHS and from the improvements in diagnosis, treatment and care that should follow. Better management of the disease will also address ways of reducing the significant burden of COPD on the NHS."

To ensure that the NSF meets the needs of COPD patients and their carers an External Reference Group will be established, bringing together health professionals, service users and carers and health service managers, to advise on the development of the framework. It will be jointly chaired by Professor Peter Calverley (President of the British Thoracic Society), and Professor Sue Hill (Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health).

Professor Peter Calverley said:

"The new COPD NSF gives us a great opportunity to improve the lot of people with this disabling condition and to take a lead internationally in the implementation of effective COPD care."

Professor Sue Hill said of her role in the Group:

"Answers to the problems faced by patients with COPD and the healthcare professionals who have a vital role in their care can not be found overnight. It is vital that we take time to seek the views of the whole COPD community on how the NSF should tackle these challenging issues.

"The announcement of the NSF is very timely, and a chance to ensure COPD services fit with recent reforms to the whole health and social care system."

1) National Service Frameworks were established to improve services through setting national quality requirements (QRs) and markers of good practice to improve services and tackle existing variations in care.

2) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an umbrella term covering a range of conditions including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It is a long term condition that leads to damaged airways, causing them to become narrow, making it harder for air to get in and out of the lungs. There is no cure for COPD, but it can be managed through drug therapy.

3) Professor Calverley is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Liverpool and an Honorary Consultant Physician at University Hospital Aintree. He is currently the President of the British Thoracic Society. He has published extensively on COPD, sleep and breathing disorders and is a key figure in the international respiratory community.

4) Professor Hill was appointed as the Department of Health Chief Scientific Officer in 2002. She is now also the national clinical lead for physiological measurement within the 18 week delivery programme. She was previously a consultant clinical scientist and clinical lead for respiratory medicine at University Hospital Birmingham and held an honorary position at the University of Birmingham in the Department of Medicine. She has published widely on the pathophysiology of COPD, bringing together basic and applied clinical science.

5) Announcements regarding the full membership of the External Reference Group will be made in due course.

http://www.dh.gov.uk

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