Asthma UK has launched a staff consultation which may lead to the closure of its offices outside London.

The charity which has regional offices in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast as well as a main office in central London, is looking to reduce its property costs and reach people around the UK using digital technology.

Dan Murphy, director of external affairs of Asthma UK, said: “Like all charities, Asthma UK needs to make the most of charitable resources to help its beneficiaries. We are solely funded by donations from our supporters and last year we raised £9.3m to support the 5.4 million people in the UK.

He added: “We systematically review how we can deliver best value for our donors including where we can make savings in support costs as an organisation. For example, we have looked at reducing our estate costs and how digital technology can reach more people with asthma throughout the UK to help reduce their risk of a potentially fatal asthma attack; attacks that still kill 3 people every day.

“From this review, we will continue to invest in nation-specific advocacy programmes, but we propose to change how these are delivered by utilising a wider pool of clinical, analytical and policy experts. This may necessitate the closure of our physical offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and so we are currently undergoing a period of consultation with a number of Asthma UK staff regarding their roles in our offices in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

Murphy said that he was unable to give a time-frame for the review process.

“I cannot stress enough that this is merely a proposal at this stage and no final decision has been made at this time," he said. "Given the ongoing discussions we do not believe this is an appropriate time to comment any further.”