PULMONARY REHABILITATION AND FOLLOW-ON EXERCISE CLASSES

That this House supports the British Lung Foundation's (BLF) Breathe Easy Week from 16th to 22nd June 2008; welcomes the British Lung Foundation Charter, which sets out 12 priorities for improving lung health in the UK and is to be delivered to 10 Downing Street on 19th June 2008; acknowledges that respiratory disease is the second biggest killer in the UK and that it affects one person in every seven; recognises that pulmonary rehabilitation classes are particularly important for improving the quality of life for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; understands that the benefits of these classes are only maintained if patients continue to exercise after their course finishes; further welcomes the BLF Active initiative from the BLF which aims to ensure a better standard of health for people with lung disease by helping them to keep up their specially tailored programme of exercises; and calls on the Government to improve access to pulmonary rehabilitation and follow-on exercise classes throughout the UK for all people with lung disease who can benefit from them.