Great Ormond Street to look at home air pollution when diagnosing illnesses

In 2020 Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed on her death certificate as a cause of death. Photograph: Hollie Adams/AFP/Getty Images

Doctors at Great Ormond Street are being encouraged to consider air pollution levels at their patients’ home addresses when assessing the causes of their illnesses, under an innovative pilot scheme.

Data showing the average annual air pollution rates at patients’ postcodes has been embedded in patients’ electronic files, so that clinicians can help families understand whether their child has been exposed to elevated risk.