National Review of Asthma Deaths launches with target of reducing mortality

1 February 2012

News release from the National Review of Asthma Deaths 

A landmark project starting today brings together medical professionals and families to investigate the cause of asthma deaths with the aim of reducing asthma deaths in future.

The Royal College of Physicians is leading the pioneering 12-month National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) in the UK, starting on 1st February 2012. The project, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), and run in collaboration with professional and patient organisations, will for the first time collect details of asthma deaths in hospital and in the community across the UK to identify what can be done to improve care and reduce deaths in future.

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From 1 February:

• Health professionals and families are asked to notify the NRAD team of any suspected asthma death occurring from 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013.

• Health professionals who cared for the person with asthma will be asked to provide information from their records to the NRAD team for analysis.

• All healthcare staff - from GPs and community services to hospitals - need to keep the health records of the person concerned close to hand so that they can notify NRAD initially, then send further details to NRAD later for the confidential enquiry part of the process.

Asthma is one of the commonest conditions in the UK affecting around one in ten children and adults. Poorly controlled asthma, which is common, leads to asthma attacks and these can be severe enough to lead to deaths.  3 people die from asthma in the UK every day and over 70% of these deaths are preventable.  On 1 February, Asthma UK is launching a simple new test called Triple A: Avoid Asthma Attacks, to help people with asthma assess their risk of a severe asthma attack and enable them to take steps to avoid it.  It can be found at www.asthma.org.uk/tripleA

NRAD gives healthcare staff taking part an opportunity to learn from the deaths and change the way they treat patients with asthma in the future.  Doctors will also be able to include their participation in their appraisal documentation for revalidation purposes.

Minister of Care Services, Paul Burstow said: "Asthma can be a matter of life or death. That is why the Government is funding this work to help front line professionals improve the management of the condition. Led by front line staff over the next 12 months, staff from across the NHS will be reviewing asthma deaths and collecting evidence which will provide invaluable insights to delivering better care."

Dr Mark L Levy, clinical lead of the National Review of Asthma Deaths, added: "For 50 years, research has shown that the majority of asthma deaths are potentially preventable. This first UK National Review of Asthma Deaths offers clinicians and sufferers an opportunity to learn from these sad events and find ways of improving care for people with asthma in the future."

Neil Churchill, Chief Executive Officer at Asthma UK, says: "The importance of this National Review cannot be under-estimated. The UK has a higher death rate from asthma than other similar countries and we have been unable to reduce numbers significantly in recent years. This review will establish any patterns and risk factors that will help us prevent asthma deaths in the future. We're already working with healthcare professionals in key asthma hotspots such as the North West of England to encourage people to manage their asthma and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. The Review is a once in a generation opportunity to achieve a step change in reducing deaths and we urge all healthcare professionals to take part."