Lack of lung units 'costing lives'

Experts are calling for better services for lung patients

Four people die every day because there are too few emergency lung units, experts say.

The units are available in less than half of all UK hospitals, according to Professor Duncan Geddes, president of the British Thoracic Society.

In a speech to the society's annual conference in Bournemouth on Thursday, Professor Geddes accused the government of "discrimination by organ" - claiming that heart and cancer care get the lion's share of the funding available.

Now, a group made up of eight charities and professional bodies, called the Respiratory Alliance has been formed, with the aim of improving NHS services.

The BTS says introducing emergency lung units into all hospitals would cost about £75m, but would mean "substantial" savings for intensive care units.

We are concerned that people with respiratory disease are losing out.

Dr Dermot Ryan

Professor Geddes claims about 1,500 lives a year could be saved if the life-saving equipment was fitted in every hospital.

And although so few hospitals currently have emergency units, the professor estimates 100 patients per year per hospital need such treatment.

Emergency lung units (ELUs) have been shown to reduce death rates for critical lung patients from one in five to one in 10

There are an estimated eight million people with lung disease in the UK, including 3.4 million with asthma and 35,000 with lung cancer.

Resources demand

Dr Dermot Ryan, from the general practice airways group, which represents primary care lung professionals, said: "We are concerned that people with respiratory disease are losing out.

"Inadequate, delayed or poor care is detrimental to an individual's ability to lead a full and active life.

"Service provision for many of these people needs to be improved."

Professor Geddes, who is also a respiratory physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, said: "The under funding of emergency lung units in hospitals across the UK is a real, serious and dangerous problem for patients with respiratory disease."

The BTS is now calling on the government to deliver more resources and staffing to lung care.

It says there are far too few lung specialists in England and Wales compared to other EU countries, with an average of one per 119,000 compared to a European average of one per 60,000.

Professor Geddes added: "We are calling on the government to invest in lung disease, both in terms of equipment and in manpower.

"Lung patients not only deserve to be seen by a consultant - they also deserve access to optimum equipment and drug therapy."

Emergency lung units are similar to coronary care units.

They have specialist breathing equipment and nurses.

Patients are able to receive specialist care without going into intensive care.

The units can care for people with acute lung failure, and can treat those affected by attacks of chronic pulmonary disease, acute asthma or lung cancer.