Working in partnership

Almost 1.8 million people with asthma in England still pay for their prescriptions, and 94% of people with asthma say they support free prescriptions for people with asthma.

Asthma UK set up a coalition of charities to campaign for free prescriptions for people with long-term conditions including asthma, in England, in 2006.

Over the past year the Prescription Charges Coalition has grown to encompass 22 national voluntary sector organisations representing many millions of people with a range of long-tem health conditions and impairments. Prescription charges have already been abolished in Wales and are being phased out in Scotland and Northern Ireland, leaving England the only UK country forcing people with asthma to pay £7.20 for each prescription item.

A huge milestone was reached with Gordon Brown’s announcement at the Labour party conference in September 2008 that: ‘As over the next few years the NHS generates cash savings in its drugs budget we will plough savings back into abolishing charges for all patients with long-term conditions’.  Ministers told Parliament this was due to campaigning from patients and charities like Asthma UK.

But the campaign isn’t won yet. The Government still hasn’t confirmed which people with long-term conditions will get free prescriptions, or by when. A government review, led by Professor Ian Gilmore, was set up to look at how to carry out the promise of free prescriptions for people with long-term conditions. The Prescription Charges Coalition submitted a joint response to the Government’s review team, setting out a strong case for people with long-term conditions to get free prescriptions.

The findings of the review were reported to Ministers before Christmas. The Coalition is campaigning for the Government to publish the findings of the review, and its response, as a matter of urgency so they can implement the Prime Minister’s promise before the General Election.

To succeed, we will need to demonstrate as much public support as possible.  If you want to see prescriptions made free for people with asthma in England, please take part in our e-campaign.

Asthma UK is a member of the Smokefree Action coalition, which campaigns to reduce the harm caused by tobacco.

The Health Bill 2009 is currently being debated in Parliament.  The coalition is supporting a number of measures as part of a strategy to help prevent children from taking up smoking.

To read more, and find out how you can get involved in the coalition’s campaign on the Health Bill 2009, visit the Smokefree Action website. 

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that between 1,500 and 3,000 new cases of occupational asthma arise every year, but this rises to 7,000 cases a year if cases of asthma made worse by work are included.  In 2004, Asthma UK launched a workplace charter founded on the belief that no-one should have to work in an environment that compromises their health and well-being.

Working in partnership with the HSE, Asthma UK recently relaunched 'Asthma at Work – Your Charter'.  This redesigned and more concise document sets out five key measures to significantly reduce asthma and its impact in the workplace and is aimed at employers, employees and health professionals.

• Visit the Workplace Charter page

Health policy is a devolved issue. That means health policy in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is dealt with by the respective administrations and working partnerships may be different to the rest of the UK.

For more specific information on working in partnership in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland please follow the links below:

• Asthma UK Scotland
• Asthma UK Cymru
• Asthma UK Northern Ireland