CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE - FINDING THE MISSING MILLIONS CAMPAIGN

That this House notes that an estimated 3.7 million people in the UK have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but that only 900,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease; recognises that COPD is the UK's fifth biggest killer and that the direct cost of providing care in the NHS for people with COPD is almost £500 million per year; welcomes the Invisible Lives report from the British Lung Foundation (BLF), which identifies the hotspots in the UK where people with undiagnosed COPD are most likely to live; understands that improving rates of early diagnosis for COPD would help patients to slow down the progression of their disease, live a healthy life for longer and avoid expensive emergency care; supports efforts by the BLF, Breathe Easy groups and primary care trusts to raise awareness and the rates of early diagnosis of COPD in the hotspot areas; and calls on the Government urgently to carry out an assessment of the economic and health benefits of incorporating spirometry testing into the recently announced health screening programme.