One in three (17.9 million) NHS patients in England are registered at a GP practice that exceeds the World Health Organisation annual limit for PM2.5 air pollution, UK100 analysis of air pollution data has revealed.
Last month the government published its Clean Air Strategy, which included measures that it believes will save the NHS £1.7bn a year by 2020, rising to £5.3bn a year from 2030, due to improved air quality.
However, the UK100 analysis paints a bleak picture of the current situation at GP practices across the country.
London has by far the biggest numbers, with 7.5 million patients attending a surgery that breaches WHO air pollution limits, representing three-quarters of the GP population.
However, their analysis revealed some of the worst affected areas are outside London. The top 10 most polluted GP practices are located in Barrow in Furness, Lowestoft, Penzance, Ipswich and Portsmouth.
Birmingham has the most numbers of patients at toxic GP surgeries, with nearly half a million patients registered in areas that exceed WHO air pollution limits. This is followed by a number of London boroughs including Lambeth, Newham and Wandsworth.
The research is being published ahead of a major Clean Air Summit being hosted in London on February 14 to be attended by the London Mayor Sadiq Khan as well as mayors and council leaders from across England. They are due to be joined by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and the Chief Executive of the NHS, Simon Stevens.
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