Improving Care For Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, UK

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.


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