CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE NHS PRIORITY

That this House notes that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a health umbrella term used to cover illness including chronic bronchitis and emphysema which are responsible for 30,000 deaths per year, and is the UK's fifth larget set of killer diseases estimated to cost the NHS in England alone almost 500 million per annum and is the second largest cause of emergency hospital admissions in Britain; further notes that this group of illnesses has not been featured as a priority by the Government in its NHS White Paper, nor in the subsequent Transparency in Outcomes consultation document; further notes that this set of illnesses kills more women every year in the UK than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer; and calls on the Government to add this group to its priority consideration.