Collaborating on asthma care

Too many children die from asthma attacks that could have been prevented if their condition had been managed more effectively. These deaths occur despite a plethora of national guidance on good practice.

We know that poor inhaler technique and over-reliance on relievers rather than preventers are among the reasons for these deaths but, given that there are 1.1 million children with asthma in the UK, identifying those most at risk is difficult.

Finland leads the way in reforming asthma care delivery. Self-management, patient education and speedy referrals are crucial to successful care in Finland, where lead asthma nurses and doctors are supported by asthma specialists in each local area.

As a result, the numbers of patients with asthma who need hospital treatment in the country has fallen by more than half since 2003.

In this month’s issue we analyse what is going wrong in the UK, while highlighting good practice among healthcare professionals that makes detecting people most at risk easier. The problem is that good practice is not widespread enough.

We may be able to change this situation by developing ‘GP federations’ to ensure patients have access to community asthma specialists. While children’s, school and practice nurses need better training and more support, access to more specialists would be a huge boost. If this type of collaboration prevents asthma among children, it may work for other conditions.

Meanwhile, there has been a call this month for more recognition of the need to treat sepsis following an investigation into the death of one-year-old William Mead. His mother has called for more awareness and more nursing staff to be involved in the emergency helpline NHS 111.