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| Breathe Easy Week 2009 |
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| Campaign Email |
| The following email will be sent to your local MP |
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| Subject Line |
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| Email Text |
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| The following text will be sent in the email |
As one of your constituents and as a member of the local Breathe Easy Support Group, I am writing to ask you to support the British Lung Foundation’s campaign for Breathe Easy Week 2009.
The theme for this campaign is ‘Love Your Lungs’ and the British Lung Foundation will be encouraging those with symptoms such as a persistent cough, breathlessness or a wheezy chest to go to their doctor and ask for a lung test.
It is a sad fact that many people with a lung condition do not receive an early diagnosis. Indeed, of the 3.7 million people in the UK who are estimated to have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), less than a quarter are diagnosed and aware they have the disease.
Early diagnosis of lung conditions such as COPD is vital as it allows patients to take steps to slow down the progression of the disease, and therefore live healthy lives for longer and avoid expensive emergency care.
Campaigns such as the BLF’s ‘Love Your Lungs’ are vital in order to ensure that people are more aware of the symptoms of lung disease, but it is also important that the Government takes more action to ensure at risk people are offered lung tests.
I believe that the clinical strategy for COPD, which is due to be published later this year, will lead to significant improvements in the diagnosis, treatment and care for people with the disease.
In order to ensure that the clinical strategy is as effective as possible, I believe that lung function testing should be incorporated into the Department of Health’s screening plan programme for the over-40s. Such a move would increase rates of early detection, reduce the burden of COPD on health services and thus help Primary Care Trusts throughout England to implement the recommendations of the strategy once it is published.
I hope you that you are able to support this campaign and that you will demonstrate your support by signing EDM 1589: Breathe Easy Week 2009.
I look forward to your response. |
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