Norman Lamb MP pledges support to Asthma UK's campaign to reduce emergency hospital admissions for asthma in North Norfolk

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 8th May 2008

Norman Lamb MP has pledged his support for Asthma UK's Wish you were here? campaign to reduce hospital admissions in North Norfolk and across the UK.

As part of the campaign, Asthma UK launched a report on World Asthma Day (6 May), at a parliamentary reception in Westminster, attended by Mr Lamb. The report highlights shocking differences in the numbers of emergency hospital admissions for adults and children with asthma across the whole of the UK. Most worryingly, there is a staggering eight-fold difference in admissions for childhood asthma between different PCTs in England.

Mr Lamb has pledged to support Asthma UK's work to improve asthma services and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions in North Norfolk

A person is admitted to hospital every 7 minutes in the UK because of their asthma, which is on average 221 people per day (91 children). Emergency hospital admissions for asthma cost the NHS £61 million per year, yet 75% of admissions could be avoided through better asthma management and routine care. This could mean a saving of almost £46 million.

Mr Lamb has pledged to support Asthma UK's work to improve asthma services and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions in North Norfolk by:

i) Ensuring more specialist asthma nurses are trained and accessible

ii) Fulfilling the Government's commitment that all people with asthma should be offered an individual care plan by 2010

iii) Bringing in National Service Standards for asthma, to ensure that people with asthma receive consistently high quality asthma services wherever they live.

Asthma UK is also asking local PCTs to improve asthma services by signing up to Asthma UK's new Good Asthma Services Checklist, which outlines the standard of asthma services that people with the condition should be entitled to. One of the ways they can do this is by offering every person with asthma a personal asthma action plan, as evidence suggests those with a plan are four times less likely to have an emergency admission to hospital for their asthma.

Neil Churchill, Chief Executive of Asthma UK, says: 'It's great news that Mr Lamb has signed up to support our campaign to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and improve services for people with asthma in North Norfolk. If asthma is not controlled effectively, the effects can be devastating and in some cases fatal, which is why reducing the hospital admissions of people with asthma is a key aim for Asthma UK. Our campaign must act as a wake-up call to the Government and PCTs about the costs and consequences of unnecessary hospital admissions.'