Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) is calling on the Scottish government to fund and implement the lung rehabilitation projects it had promised to put in place before the end of this parliament.

As the government’s respiratory care action plan is set to conclude at the end of this year, the national charity is urging the government not to abandon its respiratory health commitments.

Launched four years ago, the plan sought to drive improvements across prevention and early diagnosis, care, treatment and support for people living with respiratory conditions.

However, CHSS says there has been ‘minimal progress’ on its key aims, including increased access to pulmonary rehab, an exercise and education programme for people living with long-term chest conditions.

The charity says the government must now provide funding for lung health rehab programmes before the May 2026 Scottish election.

CHSS has previously reported that 25% of people living with a long-term chest condition were not referred for rehab and says the government must take ‘urgent and decisive action’ on respiratory health.

Chief Executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Jane-Claire Judson, said:

“It’s hard not to feel that the Scottish government has abandoned work to support people living with respiratory conditions.

“Work to improve the lives of people with conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has been slowly decreasing in recent years but even this limited support appears to be coming to a halt entirely. 

“Not only will this be devastating to the people in Scotland living with respiratory conditions, it’s also incredibly short-sighted. COPD is the fifth largest cause of death in Scotland, with three times as many deaths as breast cancer every year.

“Respiratory conditions are among the biggest causes of hospital admissions, and tackling this challenge falls directly in the remit of supported self management – empowering people to take control of their health and wellbeing, while potentially easing pressure on already stretched NHS services.

“Pulmonary rehab is an excellent way at reducing hospital admissions, keeping people out of hospital and can help save resources and money for the NHS which is under a constant strain.”

This comes as Asthma + Lung Scotland urged the government to expand vaccinations with flu deaths to reach a 45-year high while the latest Scottish Burden of Disease study estimates a 63% rise in the number of people living with COPD by 2044.

However, the study’s COPD report says the increase is ‘not inevitable’ as it details the need to invest in prevention, particularly in the most deprived areas.

Meanwhile, CHSS and Asthma + Lung Scotland have also urged action on poverty’s toll on lung health, highlighting the need for government to better fund smoking cessation work and improve access to COPD care.

“Cannot afford to stall any longer”

CHSS says the government should now review and evaluate the progress of the respiratory action plan, ahead of its conclusion later this year.

The charity also says the government should work with third sector services to gather expertise across lung health to better support people living with lung conditions.

Chief Executive Jane-Claire Judson said the government’s lung health commitments seem to have been “kicked into the long grass” and change is now urgently needed:

“People with respiratory conditions cannot afford for these plans to stall any longer. These conditions lead to preventable admissions to hospitals and preventable deaths, and we must take action.

“To ignore this would worsen health inequalities and neglect those most affected by one of Scotland’s largest killers. 

“It is essential that the Scottish government commit to funding and implementing specialist, general and community rehab programmes for those with respiratory conditions before the end of this parliament.”

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