Asthma children can breathe easier

PLANS are being developed to improve the quality of care for children with asthma in Oldham.

They include creating an Oldham Asthma Partnership to bring together the expertise and enthusiasm of healthcare providers, voluntary organisations and carers in Oldham to contribute to shaping services for asthma.

A regular programme of master classes for health professionals will be set up to support the required changes in health practice and enable improvements in the quality of care.

A project will also be undertaken to explore children and young people’s experiences of asthma and the care they receive. Findings will be used to develop a localised, age-appropriate self-management educational resource.

Local GP Dr Naseem Gill, clinical director for respiratory care with NHS Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “The numbers of children dying from asthma are still too high both in Oldham and across the country and in most cases these are avoidable if children were taking their medication effectively.

“So improving the quality of care for people with asthma and particularly children is a priority.

“Improvements in the quality of care for people with asthma will be dependent upon improving the care provided through GPs and their clinical teams, by community and school nurses and across all aspects of healthcare.”

Asthma affects one in 11 children and there is evidence that there is a wide variation of experience of asthma and asthma care nationally and locally.

Earlier this year, Joshua Platt (9), from Hollinwood, died following an asthma attack.

Dr Gill added: “We want to provide children with asthma with the best possible care, but we also need their families and carers’ help to do this. It is vitally important that women do not smoke during pregnancy to protect their unborn child’s health.”

If children are not managing their asthma effectively, it can lead to frequently being away from school due to ill health, impacting on education and subsequent life chances, and they are more likely to have to go to A&E regularly or be admitted to hospital in an emergency.

Asthma UK has predicted that 75 per cent of emergency hospital admissions are avoidable.