Emergency pneumonia cases surge to half a million a year in England | Health

The number of people requiring emergency care for pneumonia has risen by a quarter in two years to more than half a million cases, new figures show, amid warnings that preventable cases are adding pressure on overburdened A&E departments.

Analysis of the most recent NHS England data between April 2024 and March 2025 found there were 579,475 cases of pneumonia requiring emergency hospitalization, and this figure is likely to have risen further since then, according to the charity Asthma + Lung UK. There were 461,995 cases between April 2022 and March 2023.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of emergency room admissions and is responsible for more than double the number of cases of the next largest cause. It can also be deadly: between April 2022 and March 2025, more than 97,000 people died from pneumonia after being hospitalized.^.

Dr Andy Whittamore, clinical lead at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “These alarming figures are the result of respiratory care being neglected and deprioritized for too long.

“Following recommended basic care guidelines for respiratory illnesses can save and transform lives. I have seen first-hand from my patients the dramatic effect of good basic care on reducing hospitalizations.”

“However, too often we fail to get the basics right, leading to increased pressures in emergency rooms and hospitals, higher healthcare costs and worse outcomes for people with lung conditions without support. »

Pneumonia is a type of lung infection that affects tiny air sacs, called alveoli, in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. It can be caused by a bacterial infection or a virus, such as the flu, RSV or Covid-19. People with lung diseases are much more likely to get pneumonia because their lungs’ natural defenses are already weakened, especially if their symptoms are not well managed at home.

Asthma + Lung UK’s analysis also showed that people facing greater deprivation were 36% more likely to be admitted to hospital with pneumonia, often due to living in damp, moldy and poorly ventilated housing or areas with high air pollution.

Professor Nick Hopkinson, medical director of Asthma + Lung UK and a specialist pneumonia consultant, said pneumonia rates had been high since the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government introduced austerity policies in 2010, barring a drop during the Covid crisis due to social distancing measures. “Lung disease is closely linked to inequality,” he said.

Respiratory conditions have never received the same attention as other diseases such as cancer and heart disease, even though they are the third leading cause of death in the world, he said. Due to the lack of a top-down strategy, lung diseases were often not a priority in overburdened primary care settings, with preventive work, such as education and awareness, seen as less urgent than other demands, he added.

Asthma + Lung UK is calling for a national respiratory disease strategy to implement better basic care for people with lung conditions in community settings, such as GP practices.

Basic care includes regular treatment reviews, action plans created with clinicians for what to do when your condition worsens, and vaccinations, including the RSV, flu, and pneumococcus vaccine.

A recent survey by the charity found that just three in 10 (32%) people with asthma received all the basic elements of basic care to help them manage their condition, and just one in 10 (8.8%) people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

Studies show that people with COPD are four times more likely, and those with asthma, three times more likely to get pneumonia than the general population. Even when treated successfully, pneumonia can often make existing lung conditions worse.

Sabrina Kaur has suffered from severe asthma, bronchiectasis and COPD since she was a child, but when she contracted pneumonia it was “crippling”. Combined with the damage caused by Covid, she said all of her conditions have since become more difficult to manage and she has been to the emergency room three times this year, often coughing up blood due to inflammation in her airways.

Kaur is a nurse, so she knows how her condition should be managed, but she said she has to do all the research herself and advocate vigorously to receive updates on her treatment on time and necessary vaccinations. At 35, she is unusually young to have COPD and has found that clinicians take a “one-size-fits-all” approach that doesn’t work for her.

“You have to be very proactive and it shouldn’t be like that,” Kaur said. “Luckily, I had received my pneumonia vaccine before I was hospitalized and I’m sure things could have been even worse without it. I imagine there are a lot of people who need the pneumonia vaccine, who are missing the chance because they don’t even know it.”

Dr Jonathan Fuld, national clinical director for respiratory illness at NHS England, said: “The NHS is working to improve the way we proactively support people with respiratory illnesses during winter, with a greater emphasis on remote monitoring and strengthening community support to help people manage their conditions and reduce pressure on hospitals.

“We are also investing to support health systems in delivering innovative projects that transform asthma and COPD care in the community, while deploying new medicines for patients. »