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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services

Asked by Jim ShannonDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 5 January 2026UIN 99734

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals have been made for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as part of the Targeted Lung Health Checks programme; and what regional variation there has been in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnoses arising from that programme.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The data requested is not available centrally. To enable faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.

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