The British Thoracic Society welcomes the new NHS 10 Year Health Plan

Respiratory disease remains a key driver of health inequalities which the 10 Year Plan seeks to address. One in five people in the UK need treatment for a lung condition in their lifetime and respiratory illnesses disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable communities.  BTS urges the Government to prioritise improvements in services for people with lung conditions. 

The Society welcomes the approach to moving more care from hospitals to home, as integrated pathways of care are one of the most effective ways to help people stay well, live independently, and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. As highlighted in the joint BTS and PCRS Position Statement on Integrated Care, when resourced and delivered effectively integrated respiratory care provides a valuable model for ensuring the right care is provided to the right patient by the right person at the right time. 

The Society supports the 10 Year Health Plan’s emphasis on the prevention of ill health. Ways to deliver this include ensuring planned treatment reviews are conducted ahead of winter for chronic patients, improving uptake of vaccinations and tobacco dependency services, and providing greater access to specialist disease-focused services.   

BTS also encourages investment in data-driven decision making and the focus on technological innovations. Initiatives such as creating a comprehensive respiratory digital national dataset for the most common conditions would support the planning and delivery of respiratory care, enabling it to place resource that drives impact in the most effective and cost-efficient way. This approach has revolutionised the way cancer care and cardiology are delivered and would put the NHS at the forefront of global digital initiatives. 

Dr Richard Russell, Chair of the British Thoracic Society, said: 

“The NHS 10 Year Health Plan provides the respiratory community with opportunities to develop and lead change to improve respiratory care across England. The plan makes clear the link between deprivation and disease with a focus on respiratory problems. 
 
Smoking cessation is front and centre, and examples are given where joined up approaches to care improve respiratory health. The key themes (analogue to digital, hospital the community, sickness to prevention) are aligned with both the causes and the treatment of respiratory disease and we must not miss this chance to champion respiratory medicine and our patients in the new NHS for England and Wales.  
 

BTS will be working towards this goal, and I encourage you all to develop plans and engage with colleagues and commissioners to make respiratory diseases a priority.” 

BTS is committed to supporting the development of national care pathways for respiratory diseases, providing education and training for the respiratory workforce, and ensuring that prevention and early intervention are central to future NHS care.