Government responds to Coroner after Ella Kissi-Debrah inquest
The Government has responded to the Coroner鈥檚 Prevention of Future Deaths Report

The Government has today (17 June) issued its response to the Coroner鈥檚 following the reopening of the inquest into the tragic death of Ella Kissi-Debrah in 2013.
The response sets out that:
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Immediate action will be taken to increase public awareness about air pollution. This will include a comprehensive review of existing sources of information 鈥 including and the 鈥 to include more specific messaging for different population groups. This will help health professionals in advising patients when poor air quality is forecast. The Government will also look at working with relevant health charities on longer-term campaigns aimed specifically at vulnerable groups.
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An additional 拢6 million will be added to the annual funding pot for local authorities as part of the . Part of this fund will be dedicated to improving public awareness in local communities about the risks of air pollution. It will also encourage collaboration with local public health bodies to, for example, provide guidance to vulnerable groups about the health impacts from air pollution and the steps they can take to minimise their exposure. This funding sits alongside the 拢880 million that has already been pledged for local authorities to develop and implement local air quality plans, including Clean Air Zones.
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Several media organisations already provide air quality information online alongside their weather forecasts to warn people when air pollution levels are likely to be elevated. There are also a number of alert systems 鈥 including in and 鈥 that people can sign up to. The Government will have further discussions with broadcasters, social media companies and app providers to identify ways to spread this information more widely with clear advice that people can act on. It will also consider the scope and effectiveness of establishing a new national SMS alert system.
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NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) will continue work on a more systematic approach to asthma management. This will include identifying environmental triggers and promoting more personalised care for individual patients. In addition, the NHSEI Children and Young People鈥檚 (CYP) Transformation Programme will set out evidence-based interventions to help children, young people, families and carers, to control and reduce the risk of asthma attacks.
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On particulate matter limits, a public consultation on new legal targets for PM2.5 and other pollutants will launch early next year, with the aim of setting new targets in legislation by October 2022. The Government has used the World Health Organisation guidelines on PM2.5 to inform its ambitions in shaping these targets. Further to this, the new Office for Health Promotion will consider as a priority how public health benefits can be achieved through reductions in population exposure to PM2.5, taking into account the particular circumstances experienced in London and the South East.
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As well as a simple concentration target on PM2.5, the Government is developing a more sophisticated population exposure reduction target. This aims to drive reductions not just in pollution 鈥渉otspots鈥, but in all areas. In setting these new targets, there will also be a commitment to significantly increase the monitoring network to capture more detailed air quality information across the country.
The Government also stands ready to work with the medical and nursing Royal Colleges and other groups to support any work they may be considering to engage their members, including changes to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
鈥淓lla鈥檚 death was a tragedy and I would like to pay tribute to her family and friends who have campaigned so tirelessly on this issue, and continue to do so.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 response is part of a much wider cross-Government effort to drive forward tangible and long-lasting changes to improve the air we breathe, as well as doing more to inform the public about the risks.
鈥淎ir pollution levels have reduced significantly since 2010, with emissions of fine particulate matter falling by 11%, while emissions of nitrogen oxides are at their lowest level since records began. We know that there is more to do which is why we are setting new legally-binding targets on particulate matter pollution and building on our Clean Air Strategy to accelerate action to clean up our air.鈥