The British Thoracic Society (BTS) asked Alma Economics to review the available evidence on the impact of respiratory diseases on the NHS during the winter season. The BTS is dedicated to improving the care of people with respiratory and critical care conditions, bringing together healthcare professionals and other specialists in the field. Our work for the BTS informed their thinking on policy solutions to the NHS winter pressures.

The review included evidence on hospital admissions, bed days, and costs, comparing the wintertime impact of respiratory diseases with other times of the year and other disease areas. The project drew from NHS data and included the production of a data factsheet. For example, we used data from NHS Digital’s Hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) Activity statistics to chart the evolution over time of the number of A&E attendances for the top 20 most common primary diagnoses.