Amy 0:00

Hello and welcome to The Bench Report. You're listening to Amy and Ivan.

Ivan 0:07

Today we're looking at a recent parliamentary discussion about asthma. It happened around World Asthma Day.

Amy 0:13

And it really focused on the challenges people face with asthma right here in the UK.

Ivan 0:17

It did. And although asthma is very common, I mean, we're talking over 7 million adults, maybe 2 million kids.

Amy 0:23

It's definitely not a minor thing.

Ivan 0:25

No, far from it. Actually, lung conditions are a major cause of death here. Our death rate from respiratory illness is, well, worse than many comparable European countries.

Amy 0:35

The statistics themselves are pretty sobering. Four people dying every day from asthma.

Ivan 0:41

Every day. Every single day. And an asthma attack, a potentially serious one, happens roughly every 10 seconds.

Amy 0:46

And the really concerning part, I thought, was about preventable deaths. Over 12,000 in the last decade.

Ivan 0:53

And that 2014 review finding that two-thirds of those, two-thirds, could likely have been prevented.

Amy 0:59

That preventable word just hangs there, doesn't it?

Financial costs / productivity

Ivan 1:02

It really does. And beyond the human cost, there's the financial side. Asthma and COPD, together... costs the NHS something like $9.6 billion a year.

Amy 1:11

That's huge. Over 3% of the whole NHS budget.

Ivan 1:14

Exactly. And then add lost productivity, people off work. The wider economic hit is maybe closer to $13.8 billion.

Amy 1:22

Wow. And we saw hospital admissions were high too, nearly 57,000 in 2022-23.

Inequality

Ivan 1:29

Waiting lists for respiratory care have just ballooned over the last 10 years, a really significant rise.

Amy 1:34

The discussion also brought up inequality, which seems critical.

Ivan 1:37

Very much so. People in the most deprived communities are, I think the figure was, three times more likely to die from asthma.

Amy 1:43

And children in those areas, four times more likely to end up in hospital as an emergency.

Treatments

Ivan 1:47

It points to much bigger factors than just, you know, medication, housing. On

Amy 1:52

the treatment side, though, there was some positive news mentioned.

Ivan 1:55

Yes, the move towards using combination inhalers more.

Amy 1:58

Instead of relying only on the short-acting blue ones, the SABAs.

Ivan 2:02

Precisely. Because of safety concerns with over-reliance on those. And also development of new lower-carbon propellant inhalers.

Amy 2:12

Which is good for the environment, obviously. And ties into the World Asthma Day theme for 2025.

Ivan 2:16

Make inhaled treatments accessible for all. It really captures the core issue.

Amy 2:23

There were calls in parliament for free inhalers for everyone with asthma.

Ivan 2:27

Because the alternative is quite alarming. A study found 57% of emergency admissions involve people skipping doses because of cost.

Amy 2:34

Which is just terrible. And the idea about dose counters on emergency inhalers.

Ivan 2:39

Seems essential. So many people apparently don't realize their emergency inhaler is empty until they really need it.

Amy 2:44

Which could be disastrous.

Poor air quality

Ivan 2:45

Absolutely. Then there's the air quality link. That came up strongly.

Amy 2:49

Examples from specific areas where poor air quality is clearly driving up respiratory problems.

Ivan 2:54

Yeah. And it connects back to that inequality point. Higher asthma rates often found in more deprived parts of constituencies.

Amy 3:01

Linked to pollution, but also housing conditions like damp and mold.

Ivan 3:05

So it needs a joined up approach, doesn't it? Looking at pollution, housing, transport, lifestyle, not just the Department of Health.

Amy 3:14

Though some government efforts were acknowledged, like trying to improve air quality, the tobacco and vape spill.

Issues with healthcare systems

Ivan 3:19

And the renter's rights bill. With Awab's law tackling damp and mold specifically.

Amy 3:25

But the health care system itself isn't without problems here.

Ivan 3:28

No, definitely not. A big one is that follow-up appointment you're supposed to get within 48 hours of an emergency admission.

Amy 3:35

Most people don't get it right. About two-thirds miss out.

Ivan 3:38

Which is a real gap in care. And asthma deaths actually increased between 2012 and 2020.

'Postcode Lottery'

Amy 3:43

Suggesting things aren't consistently improving. And this idea of a postcode lottery.

Ivan 3:48

Where the care you get really depends on where you happen to live. We heard examples like in Bournemouth West, where maybe 60% of people diagnosed weren't getting basic care checks.

Amy 3:58

And long waiting times to see specialists in some places. Patients not being seen within the NHS target times.

Ivan 4:04

Even concerns about COPD care standards in certain regions being quite poor. M

Amy 4:12

So looking ahead, what were the main recommendations coming out of this?

Ivan 4:15

Well, setting actual national targets to cut preventable asthma deaths was a big one.

Amy 4:20

Makes sense. If they're preventable, let's prevent them.

Ivan 4:22

And improving access to the newer biologic medicines for those with severe asthma. Yeah. Uptake is apparently quite low and patchy across the country.

Amy 4:30

And long waits to get them, too.

Ivan 4:31

Right. Plus, support for digital tools, like apps or monitors, to help people manage their asthma day to day. What about research? A call to review funding for ASA research, definitely. And a continued focus on prevention. Things like vaccinations for flu, RSV, pneumonia, and obviously smoking cessation support.

Amy 4:51

The role of community diagnostic centers, the CDCs, also came up.

Ivan 4:56

Yes, making tests like spirometry, which measures lung function, and phenotesting more accessible.

Amy 5:02

Pheno measures airway inflammation, doesn't it?

Ivan 5:04

It does. And there was an example from Northern Ireland suggesting wider GP access to phenotesting could actually save money and improve treatment targeting.

Amy 5:12

Interesting. Integrating respiratory health properly into the next big NHS plan seems vital, too.

Ivan 5:18

And addressing winter pressures, partly through better year-round respiratory care. Also, things like the core 20PLUS5 initiative trying to tackle those health inequalities we mentioned.

Amy 5:28

And standardizing guidelines, piloting digital annual checks, lots of potential actions.

Conclusions

Ivan 5:34

It seems the core message is progress has been made, yes. But there's still major hurdles.

Amy 5:39

Especially around access, inequality, and joining up different aspects of care and prevention.

Ivan 5:45

The fact that so many deaths are still preventable really underlines the need for change, not just in health care, but looking at air quality, housing, the bigger picture.

Amy 5:55

It all comes back to something as fundamental as breathing. We need to keep the focus on respiratory health for everyone.

Ivan 6:01

As always, find us on social media at Bench Report UK. Get in touch with any topic important to you. Remember, politics is everyone's business. Take care.