The Children and Young People (CYP) Programme was established to bring about transformational change in services for CYP. One of its key priority programmes is to reduce variation in outcomes, access to care and management of long term conditions, including asthma.
Asthma is the most common long term medical condition in children. It cannot be cured, but with appropriate management quality of life can be improved. The National Review of Asthma Deaths found deficiencies in routine care and treatment of asthma and lack of recognition of deterioration and management of attacks.
Children are still dying and the UK has the highest asthma mortality and morbidity in Europe in CYP. HLP are trying to reverse this trend by introducing a programme of work similar to that in Finland Transformation in paediatric asthma care represents an opportunity as a major clinical driver for delivery of the Five Year Forward View as it requires change across the healthcare system to reduce the variation in current outcomes and care.
A group of leading clinicians and commissioners from across the capital were brought together by the programme lead to develop a vision and set of standards for care for children and young people with asthma and pre-school/viral induced wheeze.
In order to implement these at every level across the capital it required a solution that would bring all the resources into one place to enable, commissioners, providers, pharmacists, schools, parents and carers – as well as CYP themselves - to have a one stop place to go to find all information on children’s asthma.
The ‘London asthma toolkit’ was developed. We wanted to reduce attendance at urgent and emergency care departments, promote self-management and provide CYP, their families and professionals with appropriate resources and guidelines. Additionally we wanted to engage groups who wouldn’t be aware of the professional sites; such as teachers, local authorities and community pharmacists. It should improve diagnosis, management, and continuity of care, prescribing, monitoring and education across London.
The toolkit helps drive up standards and saves resource and time by doing things once for London. It provides practical resources for all involved in CYP care and can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Available in various formats it can be adapted for local use and is invaluable when time and finances are scarce. For parents and carers it means that everything they need is in one place and is evidence based rather than sources that may not give appropriate advice
Hosted at https://www.healthylondon.org/children-and-young-people/london-asthma-toolkit it houses a number of downloadable resources, such as films and online learning. All materials can be adapted easily for national use.
A soft pilot launch occurred on World Asthma Day May 2016 and a self-assessed baseline audit against the standards in June with the official launch in December 2016 at the British Thoracic Society Winter meeting.
It has been endorsed by the Royal College of GPs and the Royal College of Physicians.
Results: It had 23,611 page views during the pilot and 811 downloads (April-Nov16).
Page views continue to rise.
Since its Dec Launch it has had 37,984 page views and 10,689 downloads (including 839 downloads of the asthma nurse job description) and 1,881 film views thanks to the associated tweet campaigns to continue to promote it.
The standards and toolkit has already resulted in a number of additional asthma nurse posts and other resources across London, through the use Of CQUINS
Next steps: To integrate Asthma Action Plans through an app to be released In Sept 2017
http://fabnhsstuff.net/2016/04/17/transforming-care-children-young-people-capital-asthma/