NATIONAL COPD AUDIT 2008

That this House notes that 19th November 2008 will be World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day; welcomes the improvement over the last five years in resources and provision of services to patients with COPD as observed by the National COPD Audit 2008, carried out by the Royal College of Physicians, the British Thoracic Society, the British Lung Foundation and funded by the Health Foundation; further notes, with concern, that while some units offer excellent service delivery, others often fall short of national quality standards; believes that there is a specific need to improve palliative care and provide more information about the disease and services for patients with COPD; and calls on the Government to ensure that quality indicators and audit of services are included within the National Service Framework for COPD.