What we found:
Of the poorest 20% of people who responded to our survey, our report found:
- 70% live with uncontrolled asthma symptoms reducing their quality of life and increasing the risk of hospital admission and death;
- 1 in 4 are impacted by breathlessness on a daily basis, interfering with their day-to-day activities;
- 70% have had their income impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, and are struggling to afford their rent or mortgage, heating,
- food, prescriptions, and other household bills;
- 70% feel their lung condition has worsened and 61% feel that they need more support now than they did a year ago;
- Only 37% were able to access same-day GP care, compared to 50.3% of the wealthiest 20%.
What we are calling for:
We are calling on the government to take urgent action to tackle these inequalities. We want to see the government:
- Reduce the impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having on those with lung conditions by providing tailored financial support to people with lung conditions on low incomes
- All national health services to roll out fully resourced respiratory strategies covering prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment
- Establish a Cleaner Travel Access Fund to help those who need it most to transition to cleaner modes of transport
- Strengthen tobacco control plans in each of the UK’s four nations
- Ensure health inequality policies are co-produced with the communities they are designed to support, specifically those communities who have been most overlooked by policymakers, most at risk of lung conditions, and under-represented in policymaking
- Improve the data collected within the NHS on respiratory patients and their outcomes, ensuring communities with lower incomes are included in data collection
- Commit to long-term, outcome-based health inequalities funding for local authorities and integrated care systems
To find out more about our work: