Updates

Read about our recent work, views from healthcare professionals and stories from people affected by lung disease.

Increasing our understanding of the state of care for people with lung conditions will help shape care in the future

Rachael Andrews, Deputy Programme Manager at the National Asthma and COPD Audit Programme (NACAP), explains how the audit helps to improve respiratory care.

The Taskforce will continue to campaign for change on behalf of people with lung disease

Sarah MacFadyen, Vice Chair of the Taskforce for Lung Health, writes about the challenges the respiratory sector will face in 2021, and the role of the Taskforce in campaigning for improved care and support for people with lung conditions.

A prescription for change

In November 2020, the patient representatives of the Taskforce for Lung Health, supported by the wider Taskforce membership, wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, and Sir Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, to call for a commitment towards delivering genuine change and progress for people living with lung disease.

A carer’s perspective on 2020

Maxine Flewett's, whose husband has IPF, disucsses how the pandemic has affected her life and her hopes for the Taskforce in 2021.

Alison Cook giving a speech to parliament

Our review of 2020

The Taskforce has continued to work tirelessly in 2020, adapting to the difficult and ever-changing circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

I was not told that I had been diagnosed with COPD for nearly two years

Eddie, 60, a retired chief technologist, is living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis. Here he shares his diagnosis journey, and how not being properly informed that he was diagnosed with COPD meant he went without any treatment or support for nearly two years.

Living with a lung condition taught me to pace myself

Pauline, 72, a former mental health nurse from Churchdown, has lived with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for 18 years. She describes how she was diagnosed and how pulmonary rehabilitation has helped her.

I thought a spacer was for children – it can be easy to get the wrong idea when managing your asthma

Lauren, 30, was diagnosed with asthma while studying at university in her twenties. She shares her diagnosis story and how she realised the importance of inhaler technique for managing her asthma.

Getting patients on the right treatments can be life changing

Sheila, 50, lives in Stockport and works as a general practice nurse specialising in respiratory care in Manchester. She shares her insights into her working day and the importance of inhaler technique and prevention.