Data from the charity Asthma + Lung UK reveal the number of people needing emergency hospital care for breathing issues at least five times a year has risen by almost a quarter nationwide (22.9%) over the last 12 months with shockingly huge increases in parts of the country.
The charity says the government needs to turn back the clock on years of lung health neglect by prioritising respiratory health in its 10 Year Health Plan, which is due to be published in the next few months. Bold action on lung health is long overdue as the UK has the highest death rate in Europe for lung disease, and breathing issues are the leading cause of all emergency admissions and a driver of winter pressures. ‘Limited care and paltry follow-up mean people are being ping-ponged in and out of hospital where the focus is on a short-term fix rather than preventative care,’ the report says.
According to the data, 45% of people needing emergency treatment for asthma and 58% for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are repeat attenders yet only a half of people surveyed with lung conditions are getting appropriate follow-up care. In the same survey, 55% of respondents claimed they would not have ended up in hospital if they had been able to get a GP appointment. Separate data shows a third of people with asthma and less than a tenth with COPD are receiving recommended levels of care.
The 2024 joint asthma guideline from NICE, BTS and SIGN state that if someone has received emergency care, they need to be seen by an asthma expert afterwards, and that everyone with asthma should be reviewed once a year and have an inhaler check. If these guidelines were followed, there would be a drop in repeated emergencies and asthma deaths which have increased by 25% in the last 10 years.Likewise, better COPD monitoring would reduce repeated hospital visits as the risk of someone having a life-threatening COPD flare-up is more likely after a subsequent exacerbation.
Although the picture is bleak across the country, the data in five-plus emergency hospital visits reveal huge regional variations, with numbers almost tripling in some areas. But the highest bounce-back level is in the North-East & North Cumbria. Other blackspots include West Yorkshire, Cheshire & Merseyside, Greater Manchester, and Birmingham & Solihull.
Sarah Sleet, CEO at Asthma + Lung UK said: ‘It is unacceptable that people with lung conditions are being shunted between primary care and hospitals like this. We are living in the twenty-first century, and nobody should be stuck in A&E, fighting for breath, simply because their basic care has been neglected.
‘We know the NHS can’t fix everything at once, but lung health cannot keep falling to the bottom of the pile, nor can we allow people’s postcodes or deprivation to determine their lung health outcomes. We need to see breathing issues taken seriously, and although we welcome government plans to create better neighbourhood health provision this must include a stronger focus on improving respiratory care otherwise these dehumanising and avoidable rebound hospital visits will continue to rise.
Asthma + Lung UK is calling on the Government to ringfence a £40 million fund for lung tests, as well as action to tackle mouldy damp housing and air pollution, and properly funded services to help people stop smoking.
Reference
Asthma + Lung UK. Surge in repeat hospital visits for lung conditions; March 2025. https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/media/press-releases/surge-repeat-hospital-visits-lung-conditions
