Lung Health – NHS 10 Year Plan

I strongly support including lung health as a priority and recognise the urgent need for action to tackle the many preventable causes of respiratory illness. The current state of public health funding and air quality is unacceptable. This Parliament has inherited a poor legacy from the previous Conservative government. My Liberal Democrat parliamentary colleagues and I are committed to pushing for change.

Improving lung health requires a multi-faceted approach. That is why my colleagues and I are campaigning to increase the Public Health Grant and ensure that additional funding is allocated to the communities experiencing the worst health inequalities. This is essential to support smoking cessation services, tackle air pollution, improve housing conditions, and reduce chemical pollution from businesses.

The crisis of air pollution must be addressed with urgency. We support passing a Clean Air Act in line with World Health Organisation guidelines, enforced by an independent Air Quality Agency. Investing in sustainable transport solutions—including better EV charging infrastructure, zero-emission buses, and a firm commitment to better enable the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles—is also important. 

Boosting lung cancer survival rates is another pressing concern. The Liberal Democrats propose a guarantee that all patients begin treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral, invest in new and upgraded radiotherapy machines, and recruit more specialist cancer nurses to provide dedicated patient support. Additionally, we propose a Cancer Survival Research Act to ensure government-coordinated research funding for cancers with the lowest survival rates and to streamline the approval process for new treatments. 

I will continue to raise these issues as a member of the Commons Health Select Committee and press the Government to take meaningful action.