Respiratory disease
Respiratory disease affects 1 in 5 people and is the third biggest cause of death in the England.
Hospital admissions for lung disease have risen over the past seven years at three times the rate of all admissions generally.
Our Long Term Plan aims to improve the lives and outcomes of people with respiratory disease by diagnosing and treating conditions earlier and making sure that people with respiratory disease are receiving the right medication.
We will increase access to respiratory rehabilitation services to support people living with a respiratory condition to be as independent as possible and experience improved quality of life.
What we plan to do
- Ensure more patients have access to testing, such as spirometry testing, so that respiratory problems are diagnosed and treated earlier
- Ensure patients with respiratory disease receive and use the right medication, including educating patients on the correct use of inhalers
- Expand rehabilitation services, including pulmonary rehabilitation and digital tools so that more patients have access to them and have the support they need to best self-manage their condition and live as independently as possible
- Improve the treatment and care of people with pneumonia.
Find out more
See what the NHS Long Term Plan says about respiratory disease.
Read about NHS England’s work on respiratory disease.