Medically reviewed by
Medically reviewed by
Dr Amanda Northridge
GP & Medical Reviewer·MBBS·GMC 2847829
Wheezing, breathless, or your inhaler's not cutting it? Speak to a GP today about an asthma flare — assessment and treatment the same day.
GP appointments from £125 — see full pricing
If any of these apply, please go straight to the service listed. FastTrack is for non-emergency private GP care only.
Enough for flares where you can still speak in sentences and your reliever is helping. Treatment arranged with your pharmacy the same day.
For a chest exam and peak flow in person — same-day appointments in Manchester.
A qualified GP checks your breathing, your inhaler technique, and how bad this flare is compared to your usual. Video or in-clinic.
Your GP may arrange a short course of oral steroids, antibiotics if a chest infection is driving things, or adjust your preventer. Arranged with your pharmacy the same day.
If a flare needs urgent in-person care, we'll tell you — and arrange an in-clinic review or urgent care referral the same day.
An asthma flare (or exacerbation) is when asthma symptoms get worse than your usual day-to-day. Your airways get more inflamed and narrowed, so you wheeze, cough and struggle to breathe. Flares can build over days, or come on quickly after exposure to a trigger. Common triggers include:
A severe asthma attack is a medical emergency. If your reliever isn't helping, you can't speak in sentences, or your lips go blue — call 999 straight away and keep taking your reliever while you wait.
An asthma flare can be triggered by — or confused with — a chest infection, hay fever or anxiety. A GP can tell the difference and get you on the right treatment the same day.
Call 999 if you can't speak in full sentences, your reliever isn't helping or wears off in under an hour, your lips or fingertips look blue, or you're drowsy or exhausted from trying to breathe. Keep taking your reliever while you wait — up to 10 puffs over 10 minutes.
They're on the same spectrum. A flare builds over hours or days — more wheeze, more reliever use, worse at night. An attack is more sudden and severe. A flare can become an attack if it isn't treated. Same-day GP review is how you catch it early.
Possibly. A short course of oral steroids can calm severe airway inflammation and break a flare. Your GP decides based on your symptoms, peak flow, and how much reliever you've been using. Not every flare needs them.
They often overlap — a chest infection is the most common trigger for a flare. A GP can tell the difference: an infection is more likely if you have fever, green or yellow phlegm, or sharp chest pain. You may need antibiotics as well as steroids.
Yes — if video isn't right for you, we can see you in-clinic in Manchester the same day. If you're so breathless you're struggling to speak, call 999 instead — an asthma attack is an emergency.
Video or in-clinic, 15 minutes. Your GP takes a focused history, examines you, and explains what they think is going on.
Blood tests, swabs, urine samples or imaging — your GP arranges what fits and shares the timeline at the appointment.
Treatment arranged with your pharmacy after the call. Sick notes issued at the visit. Specialist referral letters written the same day when needed.
Sources: NHS Asthma attack · NICE CKS Asthma