Our Battle for Breath: Policy Priorities for the next Scottish Government

Asthma + Lung UK Scotland’s manifesto sets out the charity’s policy priorities for the next Scottish Government to improve lung health, respiratory care and prevention across the nation.

Summary list of actions for the next Scottish Government to make lung health a priority and improve Scotland’s overall health

Diagnosis

  • Develop a £3 million recovery fund for spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) testing, to address the backlog of patients without an objective diagnosis. Either in primary care or through diagnostic hubs, all patients should have access to spirometry and FeNO.
  • Roll out lung screening, including appropriate follow-up of incidental findings, focussing on smokers, which has been proven to find treatable early-stage lung cancer, before symptoms present.
  • Audit respiratory diagnoses in Scotland to properly record and report on the numbers of people living with a lung condition in Scotland.

Treatment, Care + Self-Management

  • Ensure that 100% of adults and children with lung conditions get the basic care they need, to manage their condition, improve their well-being and reduce hospitalisations.
  • Guarantee equitable access to pulmonary rehabilitation across the nation.
  • Provide that every pulmonary rehabilitation service has a fully staffed multi-disciplinary team.
  • Entrench the right to pulmonary rehabilitation for all eligible patients by expanding referral pathways, increasing capacity and integrating digital options.
  • Encourage the use of digital technology to improve access for those with work or caring responsibilities.
  • Invest in digital tools to support self-management of lung conditions (e.g. action plans, prescription orders, medication optimisation).
  • Provide clean air and trigger education for patients and healthcare professionals.

Prevention

  • Ensure a right to breathe clean air for everyone, by reintroducing the plan for a Human Rights Bill for Scotland, including a right to a healthy environment.
  • Launch targeted behaviour change campaigns on sustainable transport, vehicle idling, domestic burning, and the health risks of air pollution.
  • Address vehicle engine idling through local and national initiatives and increase the fixed penalty notice to act as a greater deterrent.
  • Establish Low Emission Zones in other cities and large towns and expand the boundaries of LEZs in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
  • Gradually eliminate domestic wood burning in urban areas, support rural households in transitioning from wood as a primary heating source, and provide financial assistance to those in fuel poverty.
  • Create a comprehensive monitoring network integrating local and national modelled and measured data.
  • Target smoking services to deprived areas where smoking prevalence is higher.
  • Improve general access to smoking cessation services, which include support for people who wish to stop vaping.
  • Expand the number of smoke-free and vape-free places in areas where children are likely to be present.
  • Expand and clarify warm homes schemes with the prioritisation of air source heat pumps, adequate insulation, and appropriate ventilation to ensure safe indoor air and the minimisation of seasonal triggers in the home.