Asthma UK Scotland have called for more radical action to improve the level of asthma care available folllowing the results of their yearly Asthma Survey, which shows the level of basic asthma care in Scotland has fallen by 7% in the last year – making it the worst nation in the UK for basic care provision.
The Asthma UK survey was conducted over the summer of 2019, with more than 12,000 people taking part and 1,403 of these respondents being based in Scotland.
It found that only 36% of Scottish asthma sufferers are receiving the most basic level of asthma care, a startling decrease of 7% in two years. Respondents with a lower household income were also found to suffer from asthma symptoms more frequently.
Across the UK, twice as many people (24.9%) from the top income band have well controlled asthma, compared to 11.9% of those in the lowest income band in the survey. The lowest income band is the only one where over half (57.4%) of people have uncontrolled asthma.
Whilst access to basic asthma care remains similar across income levels, the quality of asthma reviews is poorer for lower income groups. Without high quality asthma reviews assessing symptoms, inhaler and preventer usage, poorer outcomes are experienced.
There are other contributing factors that drive health inequalities for people with asthma. In deprived areas, air quality can be worse and poor housing increases exposure to mould, cold air and dust triggers. Almost half (48.8%) of Scottish respondents listed air pollution as a trigger.
In response to these shocking figures, Asthma UK Scotland are calling for more urgent work to be done to develop and implement the Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland in 2020.
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma UK Scotland said: “This survey makes for grim reading and shows the scale of the task needed. It is very disappointing to see Scotland’s level of care decrease so sharply, leaving almost two thirds (64%) of people with Asthma unable to access basic care and asthma reviews.
“It’s also incredibly worrying to read that it is the most deprived communities that are being affected most by this shortfall in care provision. We need to ensure that everyone, regardless of their economic background or where they live, can access the care they need to live a healthy life and keep their lungs well.
“To do this we must also take action to improve the quality of air across Scotland, protecting people’s lung health and helping avoid the development of conditions like asthma and COPD, as well as cracking on with the new Respiratory Care Action Plan.
“The plan is needed now more than ever as we cannot afford to continue on this downward trend. We hope the Scottish Government will soon be forthcoming with proposals to help reverse this trend and that we can refocus our efforts to getting Scotland’s asthma care provision back on track.”
Dr Andy Whittamore, Clinical Lead for Asthma UK, said: “As a practising GP I understand the pressure to cover so much in any appointment, especially an annual asthma review.
“When we are providing basic asthma care, healthcare professionals need to have the time to fully assess someone’s asthma and the impact that it has on people’s diverse lives.
“We also need to be able to tailor treatments and their action plan to people’s lifestyles and help them to use their medicines and seek health care at appropriate times. By doing this we can bring down the high rates of asthma attacks particularly in at risk and disadvantaged groups and reduce the burden that poorly controlled asthma has on the NHS.”
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