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People in Nottinghamshire were less likely to die from respiratory illnesses than the rest of the England in 2021, new figures show – despite significant differences across the UK.

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

Office for National Statistics figures show there were 86 deaths from respiratory illness for every 100,000 people in Nottinghamshire, fewer than the 94 for England as a whole.

Nottinghamshire ranked 96th from last in England for deaths from lung conditions and 72nd from last across the UK as a whole.

File photo dated 18/01/23 of a general view of medical equipment on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London. The NHS in England will miss key targets for recovery of the health service, including treating people for cancer, MPs have said in a damning report. The cross-party Public Accounts Committee said the plan for tackling Covid backlogs, set out by NHS England and the Government last year, was already "falling short" and was based on "over-optimistic" assumptions about low levels of Covid and minimal pressure on the health service this winter. Issue date: Wednesday March 1, 2023.

Across the UK, four of the 10 worst places for respiratory deaths are in North-West England, with Knowsley, Merseyside, topping the list with 178 deaths per 100,000 people.

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Asthma + Lung UK said the Government must address the “stark inequality” in lung health across the UK.

Sarah Woolnough, charity chief executive, said: “It’s appalling people across the UK are struggling to breathe, are being rushed to hospital in an emergency and so many are dying avoidably from their lung conditions.

“We know 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 ONS figures show 13.3 per cent of adults in Nottinghamshire are smokers – the same as the UK average.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman 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 are 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.”

Lower rate of death from lung conditions in Nottinghamshire than across England – despite massive UK disparity