Millions wasted each year in Britain on asthma

An asthma charity in Britain says more than £40 million a year could be saved if asthma sufferers were given better advice on how to manage their condition.

The charity Asthma UK says that three quarters of emergency hospital admissions for asthma could be avoided if patients had more guidance on how to manage their symptoms day to day.

In a report The Asthma Divide, it has been found that in 2004 alone more than 67,700 people were admitted to hospital with asthma in England; but one in four received no information about follow-up treatment and more than one in ten are unaware of what to do if another attack occurs.

Asthma UK says that one in six people require further emergency care again within two weeks.

The charity says regular asthma reviews and written "asthma action plans" could prevent patients needing expensive emergency treatment, and save the health service millions.

Research shows that people who have such an action plan are four times less likely to require an emergency hospital admission.

The north-west had the highest rate of any region - 65% higher than the lowest, the east of England.

The charity has launched support materials to help healthcare professionals who are likely to deal with asthma patients and is also calling on the government to boost specialist support services, abolish prescription charges for people with asthma and involve them in the design of services so that their needs are met appropriately.