Mrs Pamela Craig, the Trust's Deputy Director, Emergency, Primary Care and Older Persons' Services, told the Breathe Easy monthly meeting about the efforts being made by the Trust to combat lung disease.

She delivered some good news for the group. The Board is allocating £113,000 for extra physiotherapist and technical instructors in the respiratory care area.

Funding is being sought for a British Lung Foundation Practice Development Nurse for the Trust area. Further resources will become available next year for respiratory services and a network has been established to determine the purposes for the funding.

Mrs Craig said: "We are launching a promotional campaign to make people aware of the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

"As part of this plan every health care professional is being asked to personally encourage people to stop smoking, change to a healthy diet and enjoy a more active lifestyle, all in their own best interests to prevent illness.

"We also aim to have patients spending as little time as possible in hospital. Instead pulmonary rehabilitation programmes are being organised to treat people at home and to provide exercise classes throughout the community."

While welcoming the initiatives being launched by the Trust, Breathe Easy Chairperson, Mrs Nessie Blair, said: "We will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that the Trust's rhetoric and strategies are turned into action on the ground so that patients will receive the best advice and necessary treatment".