The killer disease ‘silently suffocating NHS’ and causing thousands of deaths a year – are you at risk?
A DISEASE that contributed to hundreds of thousands of emergency hospital admissions last winter needs the same urgency and focus as cancer and heart disease, a leading health charity has urged.
Asthma + Lung UK has warned how years of lung health neglect has pushed the NHS to breaking point, with conditions such chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) contributing to 1.7 million respiratory-related admissions to hospitals in England last year.
New analysis by the charity revealed lung disease, which includes conditions like COPD, asthma and pneumonia, to be the leading cause of all emergency hospital admissions in England.
Ahead of the new NHS 10-year plan, it’s now calling for a radical overhaul of how lung conditions are prevented, diagnosed and treated.
Without this, the recurrent winter crisis and pressure on frontline services will only deepen, with the most vulnerable worst affected, it said.
As part of its analysis, the charity also found lung conditions are the most closely linked conditions to deprivation, with those from the poorest communities five times more likely to die from COPD and three times more likely to die from asthma compared to those in the richest.
The poorest communities are also twice as likely to experience an emergency respiratory admission in winter.
Figures show breathing issues are the main driver of winter pressures.
Last winter saw over 300,000 people admitted with breathing issues including almost 90,000 children.
Breathing issues are responsible for 1 in 8 emergency admissions in England – higher than heart disease, musculoskeletal conditions and cancer.
To tackle the burden breathing issues heap on the NHS during winter, the charity said a more proactive, year-round approach needs to be taken to care rather than firefighting each winter.
It added improving basic care for asthma and COPD could save the NHS £729 million annually and reduce hospital stays by over 272,000 bed days.
There are currently nearly 100,000 of these during the winter months.
The charity is now calling for a commitment from the government to provide funding to make diagnostic tests available in community settings across the country so people get on the right treatment earlier, alongside access to vital treatment and basic care that people with lung conditions need to stay well and out of hospital.
There has been significant progress in reducing mortality rates from heart diseases – down 58 per cent over the past 20 years – but lung health has also seen a 14 per cent improvement.
Sarah Sleet, chief executive at Asthma + Lung UK said: “Lung conditions are silently suffocating the NHS, pushing it to breaking point and causing 66,524 deaths last year. Every day, people with respiratory conditions are needlessly suffering, hospitals are overwhelmed by emergency admissions for breathing issues, particularly during the winter.
“Without urgent action, more lives will be put at risk. The government’s 10-year plan is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to radically rethink how we improve the lives of people with lung conditions. Without a bold overhaul of how we prevent, diagnose, and treat lung disease, the NHS will continue to struggle, and the cost will be counted in lives lost.
'My brother, 36, died of an asthma attack - more needs to be done so families aren’t being devastated by deaths that could be avoided'
Gemma Fitzsimons’ brother Grant died three years ago following an asthma attack when he was just 36 years old, leaving behind a son, and his fiancé, who was pregnant with their second child.
Gemma said: “After a day out in Blackpool with his son and pregnant fiancé, Grant got increasingly wheezy as the day went on. He thought when he got home that he’d be fine, but that didn’t happen that day.
“Grant was diagnosed with asthma as a young child and was hospitalised twice. He ended in accident and emergency numerous times, using a nebuliser to help stabilise his breathing.
“As an adult, he just got on with it, but he was too dependent on his blue (reliever) inhaler really. He used it almost every day, he’d just keep getting his repeat prescription. He didn’t have an annual review or an asthma action plan. “
Gemma said the most difficult thing now is seeing his family without him.
She continued: “Grant and his partner were busy planning their future, excited about their second child – but he never got to meet his daughter, who is now three years old.
“And he and his son Lucas were very close. He has had to go through big milestones, like going to secondary school, without his dad. Grant took him to all his football matches and they used to watch Bolton Wanderers together. Grant’s best friend takes him now.”
Gemma said we really need to get the basics right when it comes to asthma. She urged: “It doesn’t need to get to the point of people ending in A&E, there’s so much that can be done before then.
“It’s so important that people can get the care they need in their community, that they can get to see their GP if they are having problems, so that are not ending up in hospital and more families aren’t being devastated by deaths that could be avoided.”
“The NHS is crying out for an all-year approach that focuses on prevention including vaccinations, as well as timely diagnosis, annual reviews and access to treatment, alongside key measures such as smoking cessation, improved housing and better air quality. These efforts could dramatically reduce hospital admissions, relieve pressure on NHS services, reducing health inequalities.”
Dr Ian Higginson, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “Respiratory issues are one of the most common reasons people attend Emergency Departments.
“As we see from these numbers, for hundreds of thousands of people, that trip to A&E leads to admission, and we know that once that decision is made, it is very likely that many of these patients will end up stranded for hours – often on trolleys in corridors – waiting for a hospital bed to become available.
“It is dehumanising and dangerous and for someone in respiratory distress – where every breath can be a struggle – I imagine it can be terrifying. Once admitted, it is often to a bed that is not on a specialist respiratory ward.
“The government has put much focus on planned care and tackling waiting lists, and this will help some patients with respiratory disease. However, it must not neglect those living with chronic health conditions who become more unwell.
“Community interventions for these patients, like access to vaccination, specialist nurses and their GP, can reduce the need for hospital admission and when hospitalisation is needed, access to specialist teams and specialist wards can shorten stays and improve outcomes. All this requires evidence-based interventions around emergency care, including improving inpatient capacity for patients with these conditions.”
Are you at risk of COPD?
COPD is the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties.
It includes emphysema – damage to the air sacs in the lungs – and chronic bronchitis – long-term inflammation of the airway.
It’s a common condition that mainly affects middle-aged or older adults who smoke. Many people don’t realise they have it.
The main symptoms are:
- shortness of breath, particularly when you’re active
- a persistent, chesty cough with phlegm – some people may dismiss this as just a “smoker’s cough”
- frequent chest infections
- persistent wheezing
Are you at risk of asthma?
Asthma is a common lung condition that causes occasional breathing difficulties.
It can affect people of all ages and often starts in childhood.
Although, it can also develop for the first time in adults.
The main symptoms are:
- A whistling sound when breathing (wheezing)
- Breathlessness
- A tight chest, which may feel like a band is tightening around it
- Coughing
If you need advice or support about any breathing symptoms or your lung condition you can give the Asthma + Lung UK helpline team a call on 0300 222 5800 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) and visit the charity’s website, which has vital health information.