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| British Lung Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | British Lung Foundation |
| Type | Charity |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Key people | Lord Callanan, Professor Neil Barnes |
| Focus | Respiratory health |
British Lung Foundation is a United Kingdom-based charity focused on respiratory health, disease prevention, research funding, and patient support. Founded in 1985, it engages with health institutions, academic centres, and policy bodies across the UK to influence care pathways and public awareness. The charity works alongside clinicians, researchers, and patient groups to address conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary fibrosis.
The organisation was established in 1985 by survivors and clinicians responding to rising concern about respiratory conditions and occupational exposures in the UK. Early activity intersected with campaigns led by figures who had roles in the National Health Service (England), National Health Service (Scotland), King's College London, and regional hospitals such as Royal Brompton Hospital and Royal Sussex County Hospital. Over the following decades the charity expanded links with research centres including Imperial College London, University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Queen Mary University of London, and the University of Glasgow. It launched national initiatives during public health debates involving the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and engaged with policy developments at the House of Commons and House of Lords.
The charity's mission centres on preventing respiratory disease and improving care delivery across the UK, aligning action with clinicians in institutions such as NHS England, Public Health England, and specialist teams at Addenbrooke's Hospital. Activities range from awareness campaigns linked to seasonal respiratory threats to funding clinical trials managed at sites like University College Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. It supports education efforts in partnership with professional bodies including the British Thoracic Society, Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of General Practitioners, and patient advocacy networks associated with Cancer Research UK and Asthma UK.
Research funding has been provided to academic units at University of Southampton, University of Leeds, University of Nottingham, University of Bristol, and institutes such as the MRC Clinical Trials Unit and the National Institute for Health Research. Grants have supported translational science in pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis genetics work linked to Great Ormond Street Hospital, lung cancer early detection projects in collaboration with teams at Royal Marsden Hospital, and COPD management trials coordinated with Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital. The foundation has co-funded studies alongside the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), and the European Respiratory Society, and has steered funding toward multidisciplinary research involving King's College Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, and university departments at University of Cambridge.
The organisation has run national campaigns on air quality, smoking cessation, and early diagnosis that intersected with debates at Department of Health and Social Care, municipal initiatives in Greater London Authority, and legislative discussions at the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Government. Campaigns have targeted policymakers alongside coalitions including Action on Smoking and Health and SmokeFree UK, and have engaged the public through collaborations with broadcasters like the BBC and publications such as The Guardian and The Times. Advocacy has focused on screening programmes, workforce issues raised by the Royal College of Nursing, and access to medicines discussed at National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisal meetings.
Support services include helplines, peer-support networks, and information resources developed with clinical partners at St George's Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, and specialist centres for cystic fibrosis at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. The charity has facilitated pulmonary rehabilitation referral pathways linking community services and secondary care teams at trusts like Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust. Patient education materials have been produced with input from organisations including Macmillan Cancer Support for lung cancer patients and patient charities such as Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Asthma UK.
The organisation is governed by a board of trustees and operates regional teams across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, interacting with health bodies including NHS Wales and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland. Funding streams include public donations, legacies, corporate partnerships with companies in the healthcare and philanthropy sectors, and grants from funders such as the Big Lottery Fund and philanthropic foundations like the Wellcome Trust and family trusts. Financial oversight has been reported in annual statements submitted to the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Partnerships span academic, clinical, and policy institutions: collaborative research with University of Oxford and the Francis Crick Institute; clinical initiatives with Royal Papworth Hospital and Papworth Trust; and policy engagement with international bodies including the World Health Organization and the European Lung Foundation. The charity has influenced clinical guidelines produced by the British Thoracic Society and has contributed evidence to parliamentary inquiries at the Public Accounts Committee and health select committees in the House of Commons. It has formed alliances with charities such as British Red Cross on patient transport and with corporate partners for awareness campaigns.
Category:Health charities in the United Kingdom Category:Respiratory disease