Arundel & South Downs MP Nick Herbert met a Henfield resident at the Commons last week (Wednesday 25 February) to hear about a lung disease and the impact it has on thousands of sufferers.

Greta Coleman travelled to the Westminster to join a British Lung Foundation event to raise awareness of the little-known condition which affects her husband, David.

IPF, or Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, is a fatal lung disease that causes scarring of the lungs. It is estimated that around 5,000 people a year in the UK die of the disease, more than better known diseases such as leukaemia, yet it remains poorly understood, with limited treatments and no cure. The disease often acts with devastating speed, with barely half of patients surviving the three years after diagnosis.

The British Lung Foundation gathered IPF patients, carers, and MPs at the launch in order to raise the profile of the disease. Mr Herbert discussed IPF and its impact on patients with Greta, who cares for her husband David. The MP also discussed the care and support available in his constituency for IPF patients.

The report is an important step for IPF campaigners and calls for all those providing IPF services to follow NICE guidance, all patients to be given Information Standard-approved information on IPF at the point of diagnosis, and all patients to have access to a specialist interstitial lung disease (ILD) nurse to help them navigate their care.

Greta Coleman said: “IPF kills so many people every year in the UK – and the number has been rising for decades – yet still no one knows what causes it, and still there is no cure.

“I was happy that my MP came along to support those affected by IPF and I hope this launch will help us raise awareness about this terrible disease.”

Nick Herbert said: “It was a pleasure to meet Greta at the Commons and to learn about this devastating lung condition. My constituent made a huge effort to be at this event and I hope she feels that it was worthwhile. Certainly I am now much better informed about IPF.

"Clearly we do need to improve awareness about this disease which severely impacts the lives of those affected, their families and carers."

ENDS

Notes

1. Photograph attached - Nick Herbert MP with Greta Coleman at the British Lung Foundation event at the House of Commons.

2. For more information about Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis see the British Lung Foundation website www.blf.org.uk.

Henfield resident lobbies MP about lung disease