News

Patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) across Yorkshire and the Humber will benefit from better care closer to home thanks to a new government partnership investing £594k to enhance services across the region.

The funding will support a new programme that aims to improve how respiratory conditions are diagnosed and treated. The Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP) brings together NHS England, the Office for Life Sciences, 15 health innovation networks including Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, and four leading pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca, Chiesi, GSK, and Sanofi, in a co-funded programme worth over £10 million nationally.

Through the programme, patients living with asthma and COPD will receive faster diagnosis, more personalised care and better support to manage their condition. It supports the government’s 10 Year Health Plan by helping to move more care out of hospitals and into local communities, particularly in areas with high levels of deprivation and respiratory illness.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber is working with the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Conexus Healthcare CIC, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and NHS Humber Health Partnership to improve care for patients with asthma and COPD.

David Linden, local respiratory lead at Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, said: “The programme has two clinical focus areas, one for the early and accurate diagnosis of asthma and COPD, and one to look at risk stratification and optimisation of COPD patients.

The success of this initiative relies on collaboration between all parties involved and the use of data to ensure we are moving in the right direction.”

Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death in the UK, contributing to more than 700,000 hospital admissions and around six million inpatient bed days each year — the vast majority of them unplanned.

Data from the Department of Health and Social Care shows that between 2023 and 2024 there were 37,440 emergency admissions for respiratory disease in West Yorkshire and 31,080 in Humber and North Yorkshire. People living in more disadvantaged communities are more likely to develop respiratory disease and die earlier from it. Factors such as smoking, air pollution, poor housing, workplace exposure to harmful substances and reduced access to healthcare all contribute to higher rates of respiratory disease.

In Wakefield respiratory disease is a major cause of ill health and early death, with around 70 more premature deaths annually than the national average. High smoking rates combined with the area’s industrial mining history worsens respiratory health outcomes and contributes to health inequality across the district.²

Humber and North Yorkshire also have high rates of COPD, with prevalence at 2.4% compared to 1.8% nationally, reaching 3.1% in Hull³.

Additionally there are plans to support two new projects in former mining communities in Wakefield and Sheffield working closely with Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The partnership will use data and digital tools to identify patients who would benefit from more targeted treatments, expand access to biologic medicines, and ensure community and primary care teams can support patients closer to home.

Richard Stubbs, CEO of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, added: “This innovative partnership programme will reduce the need for emergency admissions and ease pressure on hospitals, particularly during winter.

“Better management of respiratory conditions not only improves health outcomes but also supports people to remain active in the workforce. Respiratory disease is a major contributor to workplace absence, and ensuring earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment can help reduce time lost to illness.

This aligns closely with the aims of our YHealth for Growth campaign, which highlights how improving population health is essential to strengthening local economies. By helping more people stay well and in work, better respiratory care can contribute to reduced health-related economic inactivity, improved productivity, and higher living standards across the region.”

One project in Wakefield has already begun analysing patient records across 34 GP practices to identify people who might have undiagnosed COPD or asthma. Since last October, practices have reviewed 1233 patients, carried out 161 diagnostic spirometry tests and diagnosed 55 new cases of COPD and 14 new cases of asthma.

Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation and Safety Minister, said: “Too many people with asthma and lung disease end up rushed to hospital when, with the right care and support, that admission could have been avoided entirely.

For far too long these patients have been let down because of a broken system. This government is bringing together the NHS, industry and local health innovation networks to make sure patients get the treatment they need, closer to home, before their condition reaches crisis point.

“This £10 million partnership is a concrete example of what our reform agenda looks like in practice – shifting care out of hospitals and into communities, using data to reach patients who have been missed, and working hand-in-hand with industry to get the best treatments to the people who need them most.”

It is backed by a broad coalition of clinical, academic and patient organisations, including Asthma and Lung UK, the Primary Care Respiratory Society, the British Thoracic Society, the National Respiratory Audit Programme, the Association of Respiratory Nurses and NICE.