§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they plan to give respiratory disease a higher priority in health policy. [HL2132]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe Government consider the provision of first class services for people with respiratory disease as very important. In addition to a broad spectrum of research and development work into the disease, we are taking forward a number of initiatives to drive improvements in prevention and access and delivery of services.
The National Service Framework for Older People, published in March 2001, made a commitment to prioritise the development of an evidenced based service model for respiratory disease within its 10-year framework. The focus of this will be older people, but much as the current NSF service models on stroke and dementia such a service model will have implications for and apply to all who need these services, regardless of their age.
A proposal for the production of clinical guidelines for chronic obstructive disease is being considered for referral to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What share of the total funds allocated to medical research by the Department of Health and the Medical Research Council are committed to respiratory conditions; and whether they have any plans to increase the amount of research in this area. [HL2133]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe main government agency for research into the cause and treatments of disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. MRC expenditure on medical research in 1999–2000 was £340 million, of which £12.2 million was spent on respiratory disorders.
The Department of Health funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the National Health Service and also provides NHS support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities that takes place in the NHS. Research is directly commissioned through national, regional and policy research programmes.
The NHS national research and development programme on asthma has supported projects at a total cost of £4.9 million. Other national programmes have supported individual projects looking at respiratory conditions, including the Mother and Child Health R&D Programme, which has supported a trial of self-management for young children with asthma, and the implementation methods programme, which has supported an evaluation of computerised guidelines for the management of two chronic conditions (asthma and ischaemic heart disease). The Health Technology Assessment Programme has also 239WA supported related research, including a pragmatic single-blind randomised control trial and health economic evaluation of leukotriene receptor antagonists in primary care which is due to complete in 2003.
The department's policy research programme (PRP) provides high quality research to inform the knowledge base for health and social services. The PRP has supported research projects into respiratory conditions, including asthma and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, and currently provides funding for the Social Medicine and Health Services Research Unit, University of London, which includes work on respiratory illness.
It is not possible to predict what the future level of government expenditure will be on specific areas of research as new research proposals are regularly being considered and commissioned.