Access to Salbutamol Inhalers

Anum Qaisar Excerpts

Monday 29th November 2021 Westminster Hall

[Ms Anum Qaisar (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hosie. I thank the hon. Member for Don Valley (Nick Fletcher) for leading this important debate and all those who signed e-petition 578676, including the 981 in my constituency of Airdrie and Shotts.

As the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Margaret Ferrier) said, this is a perfect tragedy that has impacted many people in the wider Glasgow area, including my constituents. In common with the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), this subject is close to my heart as I was diagnosed with asthma at a young age. I could not say the whole phrase when I was younger, so I always used to call it “my blue inhaler,” and I have used a blue inhaler since I was a child.

I start by expressing my sadness over the death of Lauren Reid, who tragically died at the age of 19. Lauren was working in a Glasgow city centre bar in February 2020 and although she usually carried her inhaler everywhere with her, on that day she unfortunately did not have access to one. She suffered a devastating cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital, but the damage inflicted to her brain by the asthma attack was simply too severe. Her mother, Elaine, was left with a decision that no parent should ever have to face—to turn off Lauren’s life support. If Lauren had had access to an inhaler, she might still be with us today.

Lauren worked in an environment that posed a high risk to those suffering from asthma. The fumes and dust in commercial kitchens increase the likelihood of an asthma attack. A recent study estimated that 30% of asthmatic attacks are linked to the work environment, yet for most workplaces an emergency asthma kit is not available. Like others, I welcome the heroic efforts of Lauren’s mum, Elaine Cunningham, whose campaign has attracted widespread public backing, including 1 million views on TikTok. That is important because the campaign is reaching younger people, ensuring that knowledge about the impact of asthma and the use of inhalers is widespread.

The campaign has highlighted the need for a change in the law around access to inhalers. Currently, there are no healthcare provisions that allow commercial kitchens to hold an inhaler. I understand that there are hurdles to placing these types of inhalers in the workplace. The inhalers contain prescription drugs that can pose a serious health risk if they are overused, but we might be able to overcome these hurdles.

Parliament passed the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2014 to allow schools to hold inhalers for emergency use, and the changes in the regulations allowed inhalers to be stored in schools without a prescription. That change has almost certainly saved lives. As has already been stated by the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, asthma is one of the most common allergies across the UK, with millions of people diagnosed —myself included. Every 10 seconds, someone has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack. Sadly, three people die every day. It is estimated that two thirds of those deaths could be prevented by routine care. An estimated four out of five people with suspected severe asthma who should receive specialist care are unable to, meaning that they miss out on life-changing treatment. That has anegative long-term impact on the NHS, with treatment for asthma patients costing the NHS £3 billion a year, making it one of the costliest conditions to treat.

As the hon. Member for Don Valley stated when he introduced the debate, deaths caused by asthma are 50% higher here in the UK compared with the EU. We have the worst death rate in Europe for young people aged 10 to 24 with asthma. We are not doing enough, and we can do more. Improving access to inhalers in commercial kitchens might be just one small step, but it could make a huge difference.

We can do more across the four nations to combat asthma. In Scotland we are taking steps to make the changes. When changes to the regulations occurred in 2014, the Scottish Government consulted Asthma UK and worked alongside it to implement the policy. Guidance was developed in partnership with key stakeholders from NHS Scotland and education authorities to ensure that inhalers were used correctly in schools. 

Elaine’s campaign has already received the support of Unichef, the national union that represents kitchen chefs, which shows that there is a level of support in the industry for the proposed changes. I hope that the Government will engage with stakeholders and have the important conversations to make the changes happen, and I would welcome the Minister’s comments on that.

More generally, the Scottish Government will continue to do all that they can to combat asthma. Recently, the Scottish Government announced the respiratory care action plan, which sets out a vision for the Scottish NHS and prioritises the need for more preventive measures to combat respiratory conditions, including asthma. The need for action on asthma has increased since the pandemic, with the number of undiagnosed cases increasing since last year. The Scottish Government are committed to ensuring that meaningful data is provided on asthma cases, to help understand where people’s needs are not being met. To deliver the most effective person-centred care, the Scottish Government will continue to work with stakeholders on the implementation of this plan.

The UK Government should follow the lead of the Scottish Government in the provision of free prescriptions. Since 2011, those in Scotland suffering from asthma have had access to free inhalers, meaning that no person is left without an inhaler. A recent survey conducted by Asthma UK found that three quarters of people living with asthma in England struggled to pay for their prescriptions. Individuals have often turned to skipping doses of their inhaler to cut costs, posing a risk to their health. The UK Government should follow the Scottish Government’s lead and provide free prescriptions to those who suffer from asthma.

It has been almost two years since the tragic death of Lauren. What the petition is proposing will save lives. We simply need to do more to ensure that there is more access to inhalers—for Elaine, for Lauren and for all those who, like me, suffer from asthma.