Building an NHS fit for the Future is vital says Jim Shannon MP
Strangford MP Jim Shannon attended the ‘Building an NHS Fit for the Future Debate’ that took place in the UK Parliament as part of the discussions regarding the King’s Speech 2023.
He said: “As my party’s spokesperson for Health, I believe our NHS is very important to us all, and it was great to intervene to discuss respiratory health across the United Kingdom.
“Respiratory Health is very important. Across the UK, one of many issues is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
“The UK has the worst figures in all of Europe, except for Denmark.
“33% of COPD patients are readmitted within 28 days of discharge, even though readmission has been found to be strongly related to the post-charge mentality.
“To have those figures, the NICE system in place for COPD needs to be reviewed for a better service to be in place and delivered.
“I am the Chair of the APPG on Respiratory Heath in Parliament and these issues are frequently a part of the conversation.
“Statistics show that an estimated 1.2 million people in the UK suffer with COPD which is a massive figure that warrants attention from the Government.
“I would urge the Government to engage with the Department of Health across the devolved institutions to discuss what more we can do improve diagnosis and services for those with COPD.
“Consideration must be given to learning more about the disease and the triggers that cause.
“I have hope that across all stages of government, we will be able do more to combat the issue.”
