Merseyside borough has highest rate of respiratory deaths in UK

The Merseyside borough of Knowsley had the highest rate of deaths from respiratory illnesses in the UK in 2021, new figures show.

Thousands of people die from lung conditions every year – such as flu, pneumonia and lung disease – and new analysis by the charity Asthma + Lung UK lays bare the inequality in deaths between different areas of the country.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 178 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000 people in Knowsley – meaning the area had more deaths from lung conditions per population than anywhere else in the UK or England.

Standardised figures, to account for age differences across different areas, show the average deaths from respiratory illness per 100,000 people across England as a whole was 94.

Asthma + Lung UK chief executive Sarah Woolnough said: “We know that people in more deprived areas are more likely to have worse lung health, often with no choice but to live in poorer quality housing, more polluted areas with higher smoking rates.”

• Separate figures, also from the ONS, show 16% of adults in Knowsley are smokers – higher than the UK average of 13.3%.
• In the UK, four of the 10 worst places for respiratory deaths are in the North West of England.
• Across England, four of the 11 worst places for deaths from lung conditions are in the Liverpool City Region

Respiratory illness deaths in Liverpool City Region (2021)

• Knowsley: there were 178 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000 people. The borough ranked first in England and the UK as a whole.
• Liverpool: there were 142 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000 people. The city ranked sixth in England and 11th across the UK.
• Halton: there were 141 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000 people. The borough ranked seventh in England and 13th across the UK as a whole.
• St Helens: there were 136 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000. The borough ranked 11th in England for and 17th across the UK as a whole.
• Wirral: there were 128 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000 people. The borough ranked 18th in England and 29th across the UK as a whole.
• Sefton: there were 111 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000 people. The borough ranked 45th in England and 65th across the UK as a whole.

Asthma + Lung UK said the Government must address the ‘stark inequality’ in lung health across the UK. Ms Woolnough added: “It’s appalling that people across the UK are struggling to breathe, are being rushed to hospital in an emergency and that so many are dying avoidably from their lung conditions. We need to tackle the lung health lottery head on.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:“We are working hard to improve lung health across the country – including by investing millions in research and backing the NHS’s targeted lung health checks programme, which aims to detect conditions including lung cancer earlier and faster.

“We’ve set ambitious clean air targets to reduce the health impacts of air pollution – ensuring reductions are made where concentrations are highest – and we’re committed to delivering on our Smokefree ambition by 2030, with smoking rates in England currently at an all-time low.”

“Chronic respiratory diseases forms a significant part of our Major Conditions Strategy, which covers the six different conditions that most affect the population in England and aims to alleviate pressure on the health system and support people to live healthier lives for longer, wherever they live,” they added.