Kirsty says Lung disease must be made a national priority

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

Kirsty is pictured with constituents Mr and Mrs Barnard of Coelbren in the upper Swansea valley and a representative of the British Lung Foundation.

Kirsty Williams, AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, has given her 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. Powys does not have any pulmonary rehabilitation services

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 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 Kirsty Williams AM supports.

Kirsty Williams said: "It is hugely concerning that so many people with lung conditions have to wait until they have been seriously ill or hospitalised before they have access to rehab and exercise programmes.

"It is important that everyone has access to pulmonary rehabilitation and follow on exercise classes locally as early as possible and I will be continuing to call for this for my constituents in Powys.

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."

Notes

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