Written question WQ98198
- Asked by
- Peter FoxConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary set out the current waiting times for COPD diagnostic tests, and how will the development of the All-Wales Breathlessness Pathway help reduce delays in access to spirometry and other innovative respiratory diagnostics?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The Welsh Government does not record diagnostic waiting times specifically for COPD-related diagnostic tests in secondary care. Some of the relevant investigations are also delivered by general practice and are therefore not subject to outpatient waiting list management.
The intention behind the introduction of breathlessness services in the community is to improve the investigation of new cases of non-acute breathlessness. This will support people to obtain a new diagnosis by clearly setting out how services should investigate and assess breathlessness and its causes, whether respiratory or cardiology related.
Breathlessness services are likely to involve practices working collaboratively to deliver a greater volume of spirometry testing. This approach should improve access to testing, while also strengthening competency levels in both test delivery and result interpretation.