Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of severe asthma services in (a) England and (b) North Staffordshire.

No recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of provision of severe asthma services in England and North Staffordshire.

Respiratory disease is a clinical priority within the recently published NHS Long Term Plan. The Plan has the overarching objective of improving outcomes for people with respiratory disease, including asthma.

There are currently 14 severe asthma centres in England. All specialist providers are required to develop a networked model of care as the vehicle for delivering an optimal pathway and maximising patient outcomes and experience.

It is expected that National Health Service patients with severe asthma are referred to their specialist asthma service where they will receive appropriate investigation and treatment.

The closest specialist centres to North Staffordshire are located in Birmingham and Manchester. Services for patients in Stoke and North Staffordshire with severe asthma are provided by University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. The Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust also supports asthma patients.