People struggling with breathing difficulties are being forced to make as many as five trips to A&E before bringing their lung condition under control, a charity has warned.
The surge in ‘rebound’ respiratory emergencies is choking the NHS, the charity Asthma + Lung UK has warned, and also of course means people potentially being unable to work when they otherwise would be if they had secured proper treatment.
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Lung health neglect fuelling ‘staggering’ hospital admissions, warns charity
The analysis by the charity has found the number of people needing emergency hospital care for breathing difficulties at least five times a year has risen by almost a quarter nationwide (22.9%) over the last 12 months with, it has argued, “shockingly huge” increases in parts of the country.
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 charity has said.
According to the data, nearly half (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 showed a third of people with asthma and less than a tenth with COPD are receiving recommended levels of care, the charity warned.
Although the picture was bleak across the country, the data in five-plus emergency hospital visits exposes huge regional variations, with numbers almost tripling in some areas.
The highest bounce-back level was in the north-east and north Cumbria. Other blackspots included West Yorkshire, Cheshire and Merseyside, Greater Manchester, and Birmingham & Solihull, Asthma + Lung UK said.
Sarah Sleet, chief executive 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.
“People with lung conditions should not have to battle just to get a diagnosis and effective treatment. We need to turn the dial on sickness by taking a long-term, cohesive approach to prevention, which is why we are calling for the government to ringfence a £40m fund for vital lung tests; we also want action to tackle mouldy damp housing and air pollution, which both have a huge impact on the nation’s lungs, as well as properly funded services to help people stop smoking,” Sleet added.
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