Taskforce to focus on Respiratory Matters
A Taskforce focused on respiratory matters and lung health have called for a greater focus on improving early diagnosis of respiratory conditions in their National Five Year Plan for Lung Health, published December last year.
The plan launched by the Taskforce for Lung Health, a collaboration of 29 different respiratory-focused organisations, including the HSE and the British Lung Foundation, aims to “create a society where everyone can live with healthy lungs for as long as possible.”
It’s estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people in the UK live with lung disease, yet outcomes for lung disease haven’t improved in this country for over a decade.
Some of the recommendations it calls for include:
- All health care professionals to be trained in offering advice on smoking cessation
- The creation of a clear patient pathway for people presenting respiratory symptoms with services for timely, accurate and complete diagnosis
- The development of a single, consistent guideline for the diagnosis and management of asthma
- Every person with lung disease to be given a personalised care and support plan
- All health care professionals should be able to offer basic end of life care advice.
A representative from the British Lung Foundation added:
“The Taskforce for Lung Health spent all of 2018 looking at the evidence and asking people what we could do to change things. That’s how we came up with our new plan. The report we published makes lots of new recommendations. If these are adopted by the health service, they will lead to big changes for people with lung disease.”
For more information, and to read the Taskforce’s 5-year plan for yourself, click here.
Occupational lung disease is avoidable through appropriate filtration and proper Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE).
In the UK your employer has a legal responsibility to protect your health in the workplace. If RPE is required, you must be Fit Tested before first using a tight-fitting respirator at work to make sure it can create a seal with your face, preventing contaminated air seeping in.
For more information, you can get in touch with one of our RPE experts:
info@fullsupporthealthcare.com
01933 672180