We took your voices straight to Parliament

We know there’s an urgent need for the government to take action for lung health. Every winter, lung conditions are the biggest cause of A&E admissions and NHS winter pressures. Yet every year the NHS responds in crisis mode without tackling the root cause of the problem.      

When the government published their new 10-year health plan, lung conditions barely got a mention. While other diseases were given national improvement plans, lung health was overlooked - despite being the third leading cause of death in the UK.   

We need to raise the bar for people with lung conditions

Over the last year, we’ve been campaigning hard for the government to introduce a dedicated plan for lung health – also known as a ‘Modern Service Framework (MSF). This is essential to keep people with lung conditions well and out of hospital all year round.

We teamed up with the Taskforce for Lung Health, the UKs largest coalition for respiratory health, to take the campaign to Parliament.

The Taskforce for Lung Health’s new report Breathing Life into the NHS: Improving outcomes, reducing inequalities, and enabling innovation through a respiratory Modern Service Framework  shares how an MSF would provide a clear framework to raise the bar for lung health and improve the outcomes for millions of people living with respiratory conditions.

Taking our fight straight to Parliament

We joined the Taskforce as they launched their report at a parliamentary reception in the House of Commons, where we could speak to the decision makers directly. As well as evidence from the report, parliamentarians were able to hear directly from people with lived experience about the burden lung disease can have on their everyday life. Taskforce member Ron Flewett spoke at the event about his experience of living with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). We also heard from Danny Beales MP on the positive steps which have been taken to address respiratory health conditions in his constituency.

It was a fantastic opportunity to come together and strengthen our campaign, showing decision makers that respiratory health can no longer be ignored.

After the reception, we headed across the road to Downing Street to hand in our petition signed by over 11,000 of you from across the whole UK, joining our call.

A rare opportunity for real change

We know the evidence for a national respiratory plan already exists, and so many people feel as strongly as we do. Thanks to so many of you taking the time to sign our petition we can show leaders that people across the country believe everyone with a lung condition, no matter where they live, deserve high-quality care all year round.

This is a rare opportunity for the Government to deliver meaningful system change and we are determined to seize it.