Working days lost to respiratory illness soar since pandemic

The number of working days lost due to respiratory illness has soared by nearly ten million since the pandemic as charities blamed poor care and air quality.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed an increase of nearly ten million days per year lost between 2020 and 2022.

Separate government data shows that respiratory system illnesses were the largest cause of short-term absence in the civil service in 2024, accounting for 24.1 per cent of average working days lost.

Charity bosses say respiratory care in the UK has been “neglected” for decades, and that the rise comes as “no surprise”.

Jonathan Blades, head of policy at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “At the heart of the issue is poor care, which is leading to worsening health and a spiral of repeat emergency visits to hospital.”

The ONS data, published in March in response to a House of Lords question, showed that 8.7 per cent of working days lost to illness were due to respiratory conditions in 2022 — up by two percentage points since 2021.

The number of work days lost to respiratory illness jumped by more than six million between 2021 and 2022.

A recent survey by Asthma + Lung UK showed that only one in four respondents with asthma had access to basic care, which includes an annual review, a written asthma action plan and an inhaler check.

Sarah Jones has suffered from asthma since she was 16, but after contracting pneumonia two years ago, it has been “completely out of control”.

Over the past 18 months, Jones, of Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire, has had to take six month off work. Because of her illness, she is now forced to work from home full-time.

She said: “Each flare-up has been progressively worse. Anything triggers my asthma. I am 34, and I can barely take my child out.

“I went from being incredibly active and going on holidays, walking miles a day and taking my little girl to the park. I used to swim a lot, and I enjoyed concerts and holidays but now I can’t do any of that.”

Sarah Jones said asthma had turned her life upside down

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP

She has had seven emergency hospital admissions since 2023, and has ended up in ICU a couple of times. She has yet to have a face-to-face meeting with a respiratory consultant at her local hospital.

Asthma + Lung UK’s research has found that people with uncontrolled asthma are seven times more likely to have to give up work early than those with adequately controlled asthma.

Blades said that those who have needed emergency care in the past year were twice as likely to have reduced their hours.

Jones said: “Asthma has completely turned my life upside down. I had no idea how serious this awful illness could be.”

• Genetic map reveals how inflammation drives cancer risk

Restricted access to vital lung tests such as Spirometry, the key diagnostic test for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, has also led to delayed diagnosis for many people, according to Asthma + Lung UK. Many of these tests were stopped during the pandemic because of fears of contamination.

As well as poor care, Asthma + Lung UK said air pollution and poor living conditions had contributed to respiratory illnesses. Such conditions were made worse by wealth inequality, the charity added.

Blades said: “Toxic air contributes to 43,000 premature deaths a year, stunting children’s lungs and worsening lung conditions.

“That is why strict targets to bring air quality back to safe limits are urgently needed. The government must flick the switch from sickness to prevention.”