During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite early concerns the impact oral corticosteroids might have on the effects of acute COVID-19 reported by the WHO and the potential severity of disease in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), patients were advised to continue inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy to reduce the burden of disease, the risk of exacerbations, and admission to hospital where there would be an increase in risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

One way of examining patient and practitioner responses in this context is to investigate changes in primary care ICS prescribing during this period.

Open prescribing is a digital interface that enables primary care prescribing data, released monthly from National Health Service (NHS) England, to be accessed and analysed on an open platform.

National activity of general practice (GP) appointments is reported monthly by NHS Digital to support winter preparedness and provide information about activity within primary care.

The pandemic rapidly changed the provision of primary care services, with a reduction in face-to-face consultations and a move towards telephone or virtual consultations.

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