Around 3.5 million people with asthma do not receive the basic care they are entitled to, Asthma UK warned in January 2018.1

Of more than 7,500 people with asthma in the charity’s annual survey, 65 per cent indicated that basic levels of care were not being met. The survey also found that 15 per cent, equating to around 800,000 out of the 5.4 million people in the UK with asthma, were receiving “poor primary care.”

National asthma guidelines2,3 list three criteria for basic care; omitting any one of these indicates basic care is not being met, said Asthma UK. In its survey, the proportion of respondents having received individual elements were as follows:4

·       an annual asthma review – 77 per cent;

·       a written asthma action plan – 43.9 per cent;

·       an inhaler technique check with a healthcare professional – 76.3 per cent.

But overall, only 35.0 per cent of respondents confirmed they had received all three elements in 2017. This was a slight improvement from the 33.5 per cent the previous year and was most likely due to the increase in the use of written asthma action plans.

However, annual asthma reviews and inhaler technique checks were down slightly, having each peaked at around 79 per cent in 2015. “This is a concern, and the overall increase in care provision should not mask the downward trend for these two important elements of asthma care,” said the charity.