Blog

It’s the commonest long-term medical problem in children and young people. By that we mean a medical problem that can last for years, that requires regular medicines and check-ups. The good news is we know a lot about it and we know how to treat it.

Partnership working is key. Linking local authority air quality officers with NHS partners can reveal innumerable opportunities for effective and efficient cross-promotion of vital resources and key information.

Our Asthma Friendly Schools initiative across Camden means all schools in the borough will be supported to deliver five key standards; all of which aim to keep children healthy and safe in school.

Undoubtedly the most important part of asthma management, the Inhaler Technique should be checked at every visit with the health care.

Fuel poverty effects many different people, but especially those on low incomes, in cold, damp properties, with long term illnesses. Asthma, like many long term illnesses, is made worse by coldness at home.

It’s just asthma. Lots of people have it, right? Few puffs on an inhaler, not a big deal. We’ve all seen it. Well, no, actually it is a big deal.

Be reassured that Community Pharmacists are available, talking to patients, children, young people, parents’, and carers, to ensure they understand their asthma treatments.

My eldest daughter has asthma and I know first-hand how worrying and challenging this long term condition can be to manage, if you don’t have the right information and support available.

Idling Action aims to cut dangerous vehicle emissions by targeting avoidable pollution from engine idling, as well as raising awareness about the importance of air quality for respiratory health.

During a consultation, I am keen to confirm not only what medication they take, but also how often they take it, when do they require their inhalers the most, what makes the asthma worse (trigger factors), how they manage it at home, their understanding of their medication and any identified allergies. It is also a key opportunity to assess inhaler technique. This is not just about us asking questions. It’s also a chance for parents to ask us questions and clarify any problems.

I was able to contact families, who had previously not attended my clinics, and complete consultations over the phone. Families had time to talk and if they were not available at that time, it was easy to rearrange. I encouraged the parents to involve all family members for family education.

Shortly after my son started nursery, we started noticing he was coughing more in the evenings, and the nursery also noticed that he was coughing and wheezing when playing outdoors in the playground, especially when it is cold outside. So, we brought him to the GP .../

By working across boroughs and different organisation to improve engagement and communication, training and development and oversight and monitoring, we are becoming stronger together and more capable of delivering better care and outcomes for the 30,000 asthmatic children we care for.

After reporting our successful Interactive Inhaler Technique Training Workshops at last year’s campaign, I had been expecting to write about a new collaborative respiratory review service which was to include a provision for children and young people with asthma. Who would have thought that when we ushered in the new decade we were also ushering in an “unprecedented” period of rapid changes...rapid changes in attitudes, inter-actions, communications and work practices, unfortunately putting the brakes on non-covid service development and research.

Running from 14th to 20 September the Ask About Asthma campaign coincides with returning to school and is also notably, the month where hospital admissions for asthma increase.

This week there is a global initiative asking health care staff to ask the question: ‘What Matters to You’? of their patients and service users. It prompts us to think about the need for staff to feel that what matters to them is able to be expressed and being listened to. Can we ask our colleagues, our leaders, our team members the same question and can we really listen to their answers? How can we create and sustain workplaces that understand the importance of communication, praise and acknowledgment?

Evan Lawrence Arceo, an assistant manager at London Borough of Barnet’s Spring Grove Care Home, was one of the first care home workers to take part in the CapitalNurse pilot programme aimed at helping international social care workers transition to Nursing & Midwifry Council registered nurses by offering specialised English language tuition.

Asthma, like many long term illnesses, is made worse by coldness at home. SHINE addresses that inequality by increasing energy efficiency in people’s homes.

Camden Council air quality officer Tom Parkes blogs on some of the small but potentially significant changes which can improve indoor air quality

Dr Oliver Anglin, Camden GP and clinical lead for the Children and Young People’s workstream for north central London blogs on why the #AskAboutAsthma campaign is important. For me it’s an important campaign because, it raises awareness that having asthma doesn’t have to mean having to limit a child.

AskAboutAsthma is an important campaign because it raises awareness that having asthma doesn’t have to mean having to limit a child. I want every child with asthma in north central London to fulfil their potential, irrespective of their long-term condition and the best way they can do this is to be in control of their asthma.

Adama runs nurse-led community clinics to help children/young people manage their asthma and also educate health professionals, such as GPs.

Ana Marote is an Asthma Paediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist at Whittington Health NHS Trust, she and her colleages have started holding consultations for group of families whose children have asthma to see if this can improve outcomes.

Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia and Older People’s Mental Health at NHS England, visited (29 April) North Central London one of three STPs selected in England to explore innovative practices in dementia and older people’s mental health care

North London Partners’ chronic kidney disease (CKD) project has developed an innovative virtual healthcare model to improve the care of patients living with the condition.

At its meeting in January, the Governing Body approved a proposal to be the first part of north central London to implement the Health Information Exchange (HIE). This is a big step forward in joining up care across north central London, with Barnet leading the way for all five CCGs in NCL.

We have been pretty remiss over the years in mental health, as elsewhere in the health and care sector, in giving proper attention to workforce issues. They are fundamental, not just to the practical logistics of delivering care, but also to the character and quality of patient experience.