§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to encourage local health and social care groups to adopt asthma as a particular interest among long-term conditions; and if he will make a statement. [169659]
§ Angela SmithOne of the key actions set out in Priorities for Action 2003–04 required Local Health and Social Care Groups (LHSCGs) to develop at least one project to increase the capacity of primary care to address chronic diseases, such as diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma and coronary heart disease, in the primary care setting to reduce pressure on the hospital sector.
It is a matter for the Groups, based on their assessment of local need, to decide which of these chronic diseases is a priority in their local area. To date none of the projects undertaken focus specifically on asthma but some of the projects covering respiratory illnesses in the widest sense should bring some benefits to asthma sufferers.
I should also add that the Department is currently working to put in place a strategy to identify how the full spectrum of respiratory service provision, including asthma care in the primary care setting, should be configured up to 2010.