Warning of ‘alarming’ disparities in asthma services

Asthma UK says there is a 19-fold difference in the rates of children admitted to hospital as an emergency between some areas of England.

In 2010-11, 733 out of every 100,000 children were admitted to hospital in Liverpool as an emergency asthma case compared with just 39 of every 100,000 children in Tower Hamlets, east London. Rates in Yorkshire varied from 116 for every 100,000 children in North East Lincolnshire needing hospital treatment to 306 per 100,000 in Hull.

The figures, released on World Asthma Day, also show “wide” variations in adult emergency admission rates. In Newham, east London, 193 of every 100,000 adults were rushed to hospital with their asthma compared to just 30 of 100,000 adults in Bromley, Kent, with rates varying from 44 of every 100,000 adults in North East Lincolnshire to 117 per 100,000 in Barnsley.

The charity said that three quarters of hospital admissions could be prevented with the right care and management.

Every day in the UK, 200 people are admitted to hospital because of their asthma, and three of these people will die.

Samantha Walker, director of policy and research at the charity, said: “Everyone with asthma deserves good quality care from knowledgeable healthcare professionals, irrespective of where they live.

“Guidelines are in place to give doctors and nurses the information and advice they need to prevent asthma attacks and save lives. But if these are not put into practice, they’re just a piece of paper.”

The charity has launched an online guide to help patients see whether the levels of care they are receiving meet national standards.

Dr Walker added: “The Compare Your Care campaign will tell us for the first time how close we are to meeting the standards – and will help people with asthma to demand better care if theirs is falling short.”

Emily Humphreys, head of policy and public affairs at the charity, added: “We’re alarmed to see that people’s risk of ending up in hospital with an asthma attack depends on where they live. The vast majority of asthma attacks are preventable so these figures suggest that there could be room for improvement in a lot of areas.”

Asthma sufferers can go to www.asthma.org.uk/compareyourcare to see the performance of their local services.