Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 7 June 2019.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many emergency ambulance dispatches were made for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in areas with high levels of air pollution during April 2019; and what comparative assessment he has made of those figures and the average number of dispatches for that disease in April over the last (a) 20, (b) 10 and (c) five years.
According to the Daily Air Quality Index there were ‘moderate’ to ‘very high’ levels of air pollution in some areas of the United Kingdom between 7 and 8 April and between 15 to 25 April 2019. The figures for emergency hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in this period are not available in the requested format and a comparative assessment has not been made.
In January 2019, the Government launched the Clean Air Strategy, which sets out plans for dealing with all sources of air pollution to save lives and protect nature.
The Department collaborated with the National Review of Asthma Deaths led by the Royal College of Physicians which examined the circumstances surrounding deaths from asthma and reported in 2015. Lessons learned about the factors that contribute to COPD deaths inform the National Health Service about what constitutes good care, and encourages the development of appropriate services for people with asthma.
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