Asthma: Action needed on needless deaths, says charity

Urgent government action is needed to stop preventable asthma deaths, a leading charity has said.

More than 12,000 people in the UK have died from asthma attacks since 2014, according to Asthma and Lung UK.

It said the figures meant “shockingly little” had changed since a major report a decade ago which found two thirds of asthma deaths could have been avoided with better care.

Ministers in England and Wales said they were trying to improve services.

About 5.4 million people in the UK have asthma, a common lung condition which can cause breathing difficulties.

People with asthma should get an annual condition review, a written action plan and inhaler technique checks.

But the charity said people with asthma were being “failed”, with seven out of 10 not receiving basic care, partly because healthcare workers were over-stretched.

Asthma and Lung UK said 31% of asthmatics were “disengaged” with managing their condition, putting them at higher risk, according to its research.

It also said many asthmatics should be given more information to help them to manage their condition and recognise warning signs.

Using a reliever inhaler, for example, three or more times a week could be a sign of untreated inflammation in the airways, the charity said.

“Asthma care is in crisis,” said Sarah MacFadyen, head of policy for Asthma and Lung UK.

“People are not getting the care they need and deserve.

“We don’t want to be saying the same thing in another 10 years. This is a problem we know how to fix.”

Belinda and Ian Dowling, from Portsmouth, lost their son, Warren, when he died from a sudden asthma attack last year aged 10.

Warren, one of seven siblings, regularly used inhalers but his condition was well managed.

Ms Dowling told the BBC the severity of the attack was unexpected.

“From his pumps just not working and him panicking to him not breathing and turning blue – life changed in a matter of minutes,” she said.

Ms Dowling believes increased awareness of asthma is needed.

She said Warren had hidden his inhaler at school at times in case “people thought he was weird”.

She added: “Cancer is talked about. Asthma needs to be talked about a lot more too.

“I don’t think a lot of people would even know what to do if they came across someone who was having an asthma attack.”

Asthma and Lung UK said it wanted to see national targets introduced for reducing asthma deaths.

It also said patients would benefit from new technology being introduced such as an app to help people manage their condition.

The National Review of Asthma Deaths, the 2014 report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), found key risk factors for asthma deaths included people poorly managing their condition by over-using reliever inhalers or underusing preventative inhalers.

It also found that a failure to follow up emergency hospital visits was a factor in needless deaths.

Dr John Dean, clinical vice president at the Royal College of Physicians, said it was “unacceptable” that asthma patients were not getting the help they needed and he called for moves towards more preventative care.

“This needs political will and a workforce to deliver it,” he said.

“Clinical leaders are ready to lead that change.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said the NHS had established a ground-breaking lung health check programme which would detect and treat more lung conditions.

A spokesperson said: “We’re also looking into chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma, as part of our forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy which will allow us to ensure care is better centred around the patient.”

The Welsh government said that, in the past decade, it had published two national delivery plans and a quality statement for Respiratory Diseases which supported health boards and trusts to plan and improve the quality and consistency of healthcare for people with respiratory conditions across Wales.

It added that data showed the number of emergency admissions for asthma in Wales had been going down since 2014-15.

A spokesperson for the Scottish government said: “In March 2021 we published the first Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland which sets out our priorities and commitments for driving the prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment and support for people living with respiratory conditions.

“These include developing best practice guidelines for children with asthma transitioning to adult services.

“We are also supporting more appropriate prescribing of medicines and the development of national pathways for severe asthma care.”