§ John McDonnellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to develop a comprehensive service within the NHS to(a) research the causes and (b) treat the condition of asthma; [56444]
(2) what proposals his Department has for extending the provision of rehabilitation facilities in general hospitals and medical centres for asthma sufferers. [56445]
§ Jacqui SmithManagement of asthma mainly takes place in primary care. The chronic disease management programme (CDMP), introduced in July 1993, provides arrangements for health promotion under the GMS national contract for GPs. Participating GPs (93 per cent.) receive a fixed annual payment for running organised programmes of care for patients with asthma (and for those with diabetes).
People with asthma will benefit from the emerging Expert Patients Programme which will—via the national health service—provide training in self-management skills for people with long term chronic conditions. The first pilot phase has recently begun in selected primary care trust sites, with activity to take place both on a generic and a disease-specific basis.
The Medical Research Council always welcomes high quality applications from the scientific community for support into any aspect of biomedical research and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. The Department of Health spend on directly commissioned research projects on asthma since 1997 is an estimated £7.24 million.