The RCGP has warned more needs to be done to reduce air pollution after its figures showed a large rise in asthma exacerbations.
Already this year, GPs in England have dealt with 45,458 patients with chronic asthma exacerbations – 45% higher than for the same period last year, the RCGP said.
Data from the RCGP-Oxford Research and Surveillance Centre shows the national rate of chronic asthma exacerbations has been consistently above the five-year average during 2025.
And patients in more economically deprived areas also tend to be disproportionately affected by air pollution, worsening health inequalities, the RCGP said.
It follows several warnings from different groups of clinicians in the past month about the health impacts of air pollution.
Both the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have issued reports calling for the Government to go further in meeting World Health Organisation targets on clean air.
The RCGP said it wanted the Government and regional mayors to take steps that included expanding existing clear air zones – or those currently being piloted – to reduce exposure to air pollution.
Without ‘greater efforts to reduce unsafe levels of air pollution, rates of asthma exacerbations will remain high’, the RCGP warned which places greater strain on general practice and NHS services and in addition to worsening patients’ health.
A report from Asthma+Lung UK last year found children from the most deprived areas are four times more likely to die from an asthma attack, while the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child recently warned that 1.5 million children are living in homes that were causing or contributing to asthma, respiratory infections, and chronic illness.
Air pollution was addressed in the NHS long term plan with figures showing it causes the equivalent of between 26,000 and 38,000 deaths per year in England alone, the Government said.
Progress was being made on transport emissions but that would not be enough to deliver air quality improvements needed it said.
‘We will work with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as they set out action on air pollution through the Environmental Improvement Plan review.
‘This will set out policies and measures to reduce emissions, concentrations and population exposure to the most harmful pollutants, further steps to improve understanding of air pollution and activities to increase public engagement on air quality issues,’ the plan said.
RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne, said: ‘GPs have long been sounding the alarm on the detrimental effects of air pollution on patients’ health and these latest figures on asthma exacerbations are extremely concerning.
‘Air pollution is a major public health crisis which is often overlooked, but we know it can be responsible for a range of serious physical and mental conditions and will often exacerbate existing conditions in patients.
‘We have been very encouraged by the efforts of the mayors in major cities such as Birmingham and London to reduce air pollution exposure through schemes such as the ULEZ initiative, which are reporting very positive results.
‘But these latest statistics show that we need to go further, expanding the focus on reducing air pollution in the worst affected communities.’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘We have already provided £575m to support local authorities to improve air quality and are developing a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.’
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