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EXCLUSIVE Patients suffer and GP work rises as PCTs fail to fund pulmonary rehabilitation
A lack of PCT investment in the 'gold standard' treatment for COPD is undermining patients' quality of life and increasing praétice workload, a GP investigation has found.
Figures obtained by GP show pulmonary rehabilitation, a treatment proven to keep COPD patients out of hospital, is being hugely underfunded in many parts of the country.
The GPC has asked commissioners to prioritise the service in light of demands on GPs to reduce emergency admissions under targets added to the QOF from2011/12.
GJ* obtained figures from 91 PCTs using the Freedom of Information Act. These showed that 42 times fewer patients accessed pulmonary rehabilitation in some parts of the country than others in 2010/11.
One PCT budgeted...