Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership has announced the launch of a toolkit providing videos, advice, guidance and tips for families of children and young people with asthma, following statistics indicating that last year “over 10,000 children in Surrey were prescribed regular asthma medication”.
The new toolkit is based on the premise that “children and young people can live well with asthma if they know what their triggers might be, how to take their medication properly, and ensure they have an asthma review each year”.
The toolkit forms part of an NHS England national pilot to “help improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for children and young people”. In Surrey, work is also underway to provide educational resources through asthma training for students, asthma clinics for children and young people at risk of attacks, and webinars for families.
Suzanne Bailey, senior specialist asthma practitioner says that the toolkit is designed to “help children, young people, parents and carers to understand what asthma is, as well as providing essential information on what to do during and after an asthma attack.”
It offers information on topics such as what may trigger asthma and how to manage an asthma attack, along with how to use inhalers correctly.
Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership released its newest strategy earlier this year, which aims to improve patient care outcomes through a more joined up, integrated approach, and an ambition to focus on prevention.
NIHR announced a new project this month to help promote the development of new treatments and better services for children and young people. It places a research focus on how to identify illnesses early, avoid unnecessary medical tests, and help people to access treatment and support sooner.
The asthma toolkit can be accessed here.
