Talking to MPs about the Taskforce for Lung Health

We spent the afternoon in parliament talking to MPs about the Taskforce for Lung Health and how they can get involved.

The Taskforce for Lung Health is a group of organisations and people with an interest in lung health. We all aim to develop a new 5-year plan for lung health, and to raise awareness of lung disease.

1 in 5 of us will be diagnosed with a lung disease at some point, yet outcomes for patients haven’t improved in a decade. That’s why we need politicians to back a national plan to improve services and care for all of us.

Our friends from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Royal College of Physicians came as well to talk to MPs about why patients and doctors should back a new plan.

Lots of MPs from all parties came to talk to us about why lung health matters to them.

It was a chance to have some really good conversations with politicians and convince them to get involved. It was great to hear the different reasons why they had come. Some MPs had a family member with a lung condition. Some were worried about air pollution or people being exposed to chemicals at work which damage their lungs.

We talked to MPs about the number of people living with a lung condition in their constituencies.

James Brokenshire, a Conservative MP who has recently had treatment for lung cancer, came and spoke to us about his experiences.

And the shadow Labour health secretary Jon Ashworth MP was there too.

We’d love to hear about your experiences to help us write the national plan for lung health. You can read more about the Taskforce and submit your evidence.

Tell us about your experiences