Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of preventable deaths from (a) asthma and (b) complications arising from asthma attacks.

The Government has a mandate to NHS England for 2018-19 which holds the National Health Service to account for the measures in the NHS Outcomes Framework. One of the aims of this framework is to reduce the number of preventable deaths from respiratory diseases, including asthma. Respiratory care is also one of the areas being considered as part of the NHS long-term plan currently in development.

Other steps being taken include:

- the commissioning of specialised respiratory services for severe asthma by NHS England;

- the NHS offering the flu vaccine free of charge to those with severe asthma;

- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for asthma to improve care quality and reduce the risk of asthma attacks; and

- guidance for the public which advises people to follow a personal asthma action plan, created with their clinician, to help monitor their condition and receive advice on what to do in the case of an asthma attack. The guidance is available at the following link:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/asthma