One of the great privileges of my role is hearing from people whose lives have been transformed because they have received the right support from the NHS when they needed it.
They’re delighted that they can get back to what they used to do – whether that’s excelling in sport, returning to work, or simply getting to the top of the stairs without feeling breathless.
It’s great to hear these stories – but the reality is that locally, regionally and nationally, many people suffering with asthma and other respiratory conditions still struggle to access the care that they need, and continue to manage alone.
In the UK, millions of people live with asthma, yet outcomes remain variable. Too many are diagnosed late or don’t receive the ongoing support they need. Access to effective treatments is still not equal across the country.
This variation in care is one of the biggest challenges we face. It’s driven by many factors, including differences in access to diagnostics, workforce capacity, and how services are organised. As a result, care is too often reactive, with patients only accessing and receiving support when their condition worsens. This can have dramatic impacts for people living with asthma and can lead to avoidable hospital admissions and added pressure on NHS services.
However, things are starting to change thanks to new and innovative guidelines, medicines, and approaches to supporting clinicians and healthcare systems to deliver, and people living with asthma to receive, high-quality asthma care. The Respiratory Transformation Partnership aims to support a joined-up approach to asthma care, taking more specialist support into local communities, closer to people’s homes, and empowering and enabling clinicians across the healthcare system to deliver high quality care.
This focus on neighbourhood-based care is key. By bringing together primary, community and specialist teams, we can support earlier identification, improve diagnosis, and ensure patients receive the right treatment at the right time. It also creates an opportunity to deliver care more consistently, based on evidence-based guidelines, and supports clinicians and people living with asthma to work together to improve asthma management.
We’re making better use of digital tools to identify the people in greatest need, then getting them the right tests, treatment and support, so that they can carry on with their lives and avoid needing hospital admissions.
We’re breaking down professional barriers and making the most of our different skills, sharing our knowledge and expertise and getting to know patients where they are. Through the Respiratory Transformation Partnership, the NHS is working alongside industry, innovators and patient groups to support change at scale, as well as enabling local teams to design services that meet the needs of their communities.
Reflecting on World Asthma Day, this is an exciting time to be working in respiratory services. We’re already hearing from more people whose lives are back on track. Listening to patients and clinicians alike, we are using tried and tested approaches and fine-tuning as we go, to support everyone with asthma to be able to access and receive the right care for them, at the right time, and in the right place.
Find out more about the Respiratory Transformation Partnership
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