§ Geraldine SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in(a) Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency and (b) Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust area; [165407]
(2) when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be implemented by the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust; [165416]
(3) whether pulmonary rehabilitation is offered by the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust to patients who consider themselves functionally disabled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [165417]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThese data are not collected on a constituency basis. However, the Department commissioned the Wessex Institute for Health Research and Development to produce a report on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The report estimated that, in a typical health authority of 500,000 people, around 3,000 in the 45 plus age group would have COPD.
550WAs part of our commitment to improve services for patients with COPD, we commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to prepare clinical guidelines for the national health service in England and Wales for the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of COPD.
Now that the guidelines have been published, primary care trusts, in partnership with local stakeholders, will decide what local service improvements need to be made. They have the responsibility for deciding what services to provide for their populations, including those with COPD and other respiratory diseases. They are best placed to understand local health needs and commission services to meet them.