Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health Report: Improving Asthma Outcomes In The UK

Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research contributes key evidence for APPG report on asthma in the UK

A report launched today from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health (APPG) gives recommendations on how asthma outcomes in the UK can be improved.

Compiled to include evidence from the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, the report summarises the results of a six-month APPG inquiry into asthma outcomes in the UK. This inquiry questioned why asthma outcomes are stagnating in the UK. The report recommends policy solutions for the NHS for implementation in order to reverse the upward trend in asthma mortality.

APPG inquiry

As well as covering the role of Government in improving asthma outcomes, the report also highlights the UK figures for asthma and compares the situation in the UK with other European countries. It was agreed that the fragmented approach to asthma care in the UK was the key issue which contributed to the UK being perceived to be lagging behind other countries.

The report details how asthma is managed in the UK, including the clinical situation and treatments. It also emphasised the concern around the overuse of reliever inhalers, which can lead to reduced use of preventer inhalers and a greater risk of preventable asthma attacks. 

Patient Pathways

How patients receive care in primary and secondary care, and emergency admissions was addressed by the report.

The recommendations included rolling out diagnostic hubs for respiratory illness, including asthma across primary care.

In all levels of care, it was recommended that NHS data be used to optimise care, that a consistent and practical electronic health record for asthma should be adopted, and that there should be greater coordination between GPS and specialists to yield more effective results.  

Severe Asthma

Without a standard test to diagnose severe asthma, it is difficult to accurately know the numbers across the UK. The report recommends the creation of an appropriate clinical code for severe asthma.

It was also suggested that clinicians be supported in their choice to prescribe biologics to severe asthma patients, with adequate funding to support biologics services and wider education in the benefits of this form of treatment.

UK Asthma Guidelines

In the UK, there are multiple sets of guidelines which complicates asthma care within the UK. A merger of the NICE and BTS/SIGN guidelines was welcomed and a 12-monthly review was recommended in the report.

Professor Aziz Sheikh, Director of the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research and the Health Data Research UK BREATHE Data Hub, is sharing his comments on the report during the launch event on Monday 23rd November. 

We hope that the launch of this important report signals the beginning of change for people with asthma in the UK. If all the recommendations are acted upon, we will see far-more connected primary, secondary and emergency care networks, a unified approach to asthma guidance and improved patient diagnosis and monitoring, which will translate into substantial improvements in asthma outcomes across the country

Professor Aziz SheikhDirector of the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research and the Health Data Research UK BREATHE Data Hub

Monica Fletcher OBE, Advocacy Lead at the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, co-ordinated the response from the Centre. She believes this APPG report is the first step to bringing a holistic approach to asthma care across the UK. 

The recommendations included in this report are the beginnings of a joined-up, multidisciplinary approach, which will mean nation-wide changes in how asthma is diagnosed, treated and managed, ensuring all people with asthma receive basic asthma care by appropriately trained healthcare professionals. The ultimate goal from this report are improved asthma outcomes in the UK, and these recommendations will help us to move towards this.

Monica Fletcher OBEAdvocacy Lead at the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research

Read the report