Lung disease must be made a national priority

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 24th Jun 2009

Peter Black meets lung disease sufferers from Swansea at the event in the Welsh Assembly

Welsh Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson, Peter Black has given his support to the British Lung Foundation Wales' campaign to make lung disease a national priority.

At an event held at the Assembly, BLF Wales highlighted the fact that although one in five people in Wales live with a lung condition, patients still face a postcode lottery when it comes to healthcare services.

Services such as pulmonary rehabilitation are only available in half of Wales.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a course, delivered with input from doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians and occupational therapists that helps people manage their lung condition with confidence.

Research has proven that successful pulmonary rehabilitation can reduce both the number of emergency hospital admissions and the overall number of days spent in hospital for people with respiratory problems. The benefits of providing an adequate service are significant both for those with lung disease and the NHS in Wales.

Members of Breathe Easy groups from across Wales attended the event and relished the opportunity to let Assembly Members know about the services they believe should be made available to all people with lung disease.

The British Lung Foundation Wales is calling for an urgent prioritisation of pulmonary rehabilitation services by the new LHBs, something Peter Black supports:

Head of the British Lung Foundation, Chris Mulholland, adds:

"Despite all the challenges of providing a health service fit for the 21st Century this simply isn't good enough. We welcome everyone's support in driving forward improvements."

For more information about the campaign, or about how the British Lung Foundation Wales can help you, please contact 01792 455764 or email wales@blf-uk.org