Written question WQ96348

The Welsh Government has set out its expectations in the Quality Statement for Respiratory Disease. This includes a requirement to provide pulmonary rehabilitation services. The NHS Executive is supporting health boards to develop pulmonary rehabilitation services and is assessing variation in access.

The Quality Statement also includes a requirement to provide specialist multi-disciplinary teams competent in the management of interstitial lung diseases (ILD). We expect health services to provide these services in line with clinical guidelines and to signpost people with a terminal diagnosis to benefits support. The Welsh Government has previously supported the NHS to establish a nationally commissioned ILD service to support better local management of people affected by the condition.

The Welsh Government’s expectations with regard to cancer are set out in the Quality Statement for Cancer. It includes a planning expectation for health boards to detect cancer earlier. The NHS Executive and other national organisations have supported health boards to introduce rapid diagnostic centres and provided digital tools to GPs to support referral practice for suspected cancer.

Public Health Wales has provided advice to the Welsh Government about the introduction of a national lung screening programme.

The Welsh Government expects health boards to deliver spirometry and FeNO testing in line with clinical standards and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. We have emphasised the importance of community-based access to spirometry in the Quality Statement for Respiratory Disease. The NHS Executive is developing new service pathways for new presentations of breathlessness, which are likely to support better community-based provision of spirometry and FeNO.

The NHS Wales apps for asthma and COPD are being evaluated for effectiveness and no decisions have been made about future procurement arrangements.