With lung conditions the third biggest killer in Wales, Asthma + Lung UK Cymru is calling for better diagnosis to help people with lung conditions get the care they need and help prevent hospital admissions.
As we head deeper into winter and emergency hospital admissions rise for people with lung conditions, the charity says many of these could be avoided with earlier diagnosis of hidden breathing conditions.
They are urgently calling for the establishment of easily accessible respiratory diagnostic hubs across Wales. These diagnostic hubs should be designed to serve the local population and offer testing to help diagnose a variety of respiratory conditions. They should use a “one-stop shop” approach, with people tested, diagnosed and referred, in a single, streamlined service.
As many as 50,000 people in Wales are misdiagnosed with asthma, costing an estimated £9 million every year.
The diagnostic hubs will not only save the NHS money but will also help someone get the correct diagnosis and treatment for their lung condition as quickly as possible, helping to prevent subsequent health issues.
For example, breathlessness brought on by lung conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or asthma, can mean people stop being as active, becoming more prone to other medical problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
There can be additional harm caused by inappropriate prescribing, which is costly for the NHS, providing medication that is not needed or worsening symptoms. Indeed, late diagnosis results in a 16% increase in direct costs per person over the two years following a COPD diagnosis.
Added to this, the Wales primary care clinical audit report 2021-23 found only 1 in 5 people with COPD (21.4%) had received spirometry (key test to diagnose and monitor COPD) in the last two years.
Analysis by PwC in Asthma + Lung UK Cymru’s ‘Saving Your Breath’ report found an uptake in spirometry testing in primary care to 40% of those eligible could save £3.2 million and lead to a reduction of 3,420 bed days occupied per year.
The report also found that if fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a test that measures the levels of nitric oxide in your breath, were made available to all GPs, its use could save
£6.6 million through optimising asthma treatment.
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung Cymru said:
“People in Wales simply aren’t getting vital diagnostic tests. This creates a barrier to accessing the care and support that is crucial to slowing down lung damage and reducing life-threatening exacerbations and hospital admissions.
“As Wales heads into further into winter, A+E departments are filling up with people struggling to breathe. Many of these emergency admissions could be avoided with earlier diagnosis of hidden breathing conditions.
“Our new report, Early Detection, Better Outcomes: Neighbourhood Respiratory Diagnostics, shows that the new breathlessness hub model offers a solution to rethink respiratory diagnostics. By offering testing to a wider population, neighbourhood ways of working can bring efficient and effective services closer to people with lung conditions when they need it.
“The most cost-effective location to deliver diagnostic tests is in the community, closer to people’s homes; something of particular value for people with lung conditions from rural communities, for those that have a disability or illness, or those without the ability to travel easily.”
To read Early Detection, Better Outcomes: Neighbourhood Respiratory Diagnostics report can be found here.
