A quarter of people with a deadly lung disease in Northern Ireland are waiting five years or more for a diagnosis.
One in four people who are suffering with COPD are waiting five years or more to be diagnosed with the condition while one in eight are having to wait a nearly a decade.
Charity Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland has called for urgent action to address the waiting lists for a diagnosis saying that the delays are causing thousands to lose lung function.
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COPD is an incurable condition which causes severe breathlessness and affects around 42,000 people in Northern Ireland.
Sharon Stewart, from Dungiven, lost her father Jimmy in 2021 after he had been diagnosed with COPD three years prior.
Ahead of World COPD Day on Wednesday she is hoping to raise awareness about the disease in his memory.
She said: “My Dad, Jimmy worked as a mechanic and car sprayer for many years. When his symptoms started to get worse, there was no clear diagnosis and he had to give up work. The first difficulty was the delay in the onward referral from the GP. He was having constant chest infections and regularly needing antibiotics to help with his breathing.
“Jimmy was on inhalers for 2 years before being hospitalised and was finally diagnosed with COPD in 2018. As a family, we felt Jimmy was not getting the proper level of care. When his breathing worsened, he was no longer able to go out or walk, he was always exhausted and tired.
"His home life was also affected as it took almost one year for a stairlift to be installed. This meant he stayed most of the time upstairs in his bedroom so that he could access the bathroom.
“We sadly lost him in September 2021 and his passing inspired us to do a fundraising event to help raise awareness of COPD. We organised a 10k walk, a charity car wash and a street collection. Our community was very supportive and helpful, and we hope the amount we raised can help make a difference.
“We are aware of all the constraints on our health service, but these gaps in care are making things worse. More support and information are urgently needed so families like us can take care of the ones we love, knowing everything is being done to help them."
Asthma + Lung UK has recently published a new report regarding COPD diagnosis which has revealed that the average waiting time for one is five years.
More than a third (34%) of people surveyed throughout the UK said they were unable to recognise the signs of COPD and around 1 in 4 (23%) said they were misdiagnosed as their doctor thought they had a chest infection or cough. Other key problems included access to care, with 1 in 4 (26%) saying they couldn’t get an appointment and 1 in 5 (21%) being unable to access diagnostic tests (including spirometry, a breathing test which is a key method of diagnosing COPD).
The survery also found that 82% of patients said they had not received the ‘five fundamentals’ of basic COPD care, recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Respiratory conditions make up one of the top three killers in Northern Ireland, with one in five people diagnosed with a lung condition at some point in their lives.
People with lung conditions in the poorest neighbourhoods are three and half times more likely to die than those in the richest areas in Northern Ireland.
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland, said: "We are hearing shocking stories of people spending years, even a decade of their lives, sometimes struggling to breathe, unaware that they have a lung condition which could be managed with the right treatment and support. Diagnosis of COPD needs to be faster and more accurate and there needs to be greater awareness of the seriousness of lung conditions and the signs and symptoms to look out for.
“To achieve this, we are calling on the Department of Health to ensure the health service is equipped to restart diagnostic tests for lung conditions, like spirometry. We would like to see Public Health Agency to fund a breathlessness awareness campaign, so the public and healthcare professionals are more aware of lung conditions.
"Those diagnosed with COPD need better, more joined-up care, and access to vital treatments. Anyone experiencing breathlessness should go to our website for information and support, and if necessary, seek medical advice. No one should be left fighting for breath.”
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