Healthcare professionals and partner organisations from across the Black Country recently attended an event hosted by the Children and Young Person (CYP) Asthma Transformation Network, to share their views on how children and young people can be better supported to manage their asthma.
The CYP Asthma Transformation Network meets quarterly, bringing together those who are working to improve children and young people’s asthma care. Its priorities include:
- Reducing the risk of asthma attacks and asthma deaths
- Improving the accuracy of asthma diagnosis
- Delivering high quality basic [essential] asthma care across the system
- Working to clear pathways of care underpinned by joined up working
- Ensuring staff across the system are trained to the appropriate level.
More than 20 people - including consultant paediatricians, nurses from primary, secondary, community care and school health, as well as local partners from housing and environmental health - attended the first event of 2023, which took place at Bescott Stadium on Thursday 9 March.
Attendees were given the opportunity to discuss the high levels of asthma risk experienced by children and young people, parent’s views on barriers to receiving asthma support and how schools can be asthma friendly, as well as the importance of tackling health inequalities through housing and health partnerships.
Viv Marsh, Specialist Asthma Nurse and Black Country Clinical Lead for Children and Young People’s Asthma Transformation, said: “It was great to see so many members of our CYP Asthma Transformation Network at our first event of 2023.
“Asthma is a common but very serious, and sometimes life-threatening, medical condition in children and young people. Poor asthma outcomes are strongly linked to health inequalities, and data shows that children in the Black Country living in poverty are at greatest risk of asthma attacks.
“Every asthma attack is potentially life threatening but most asthma attacks are avoidable which is why healthcare must be appropriately tailored to each child and their family.
“By thinking, planning and working together as a whole system, our aim is that all children and young people living with asthma experience excellent care and support and are not disadvantaged by their condition, no matter their circumstances.”
The work of the network will be used to help improve the quality of care, services and clinical outcomes for children and young people with asthma in the Black Country. If you are interested in joining the network, or have any queries, please email cypasthma.
