School start will trigger a spike in asthma appointments for GPs

Children with asthma are up to three times more likely to need medical help as the school year starts and the NHS has called on parents to keep asthma medicine close at hand this week. One in ten young people has asthma, with spikes in demand for help from GPs and hospitals in the weeks after school holidays, and an annual peak for children in September. Last year there were 25,128 cases of under-16s going to hospital with asthma, while recent analysis published by Public Health England found that GP appointments for children with asthma increase this month, with cases