Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death in the UK and affects approximately one in six people during their lifetime, with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) the most common long-term conditions. They can be hard to spot early. People often reach care late, raising the risk of severe illness and avoidable admission. These gaps widen inequalities and affect quality of life. Better detection, diagnosis and long-term support can make a major difference for patients and staff.
Our work
We help local systems improve respiratory care and outcomes. We bring partners together to test new ideas, share learning and scale what works.
From 2021-23 we led two national programmes alongside Health Innovation Wessex, adopting a joined-up approach supporting system-wide collaboration and innovation in all asthma pathways. These initiatives, commissioned by the NHS, led to improvements in outcomes and quality of life for many people. More appropriate diagnosis, management and referral of patients needing further specialist input helped to reduce asthma attacks, asthma-related hospital admissions and the use of steroids, known to have long-term side-effects. We led the national programme to increase uptake of biologic medicines for patients with severe and uncontrolled asthma and worked closely with Health Innovation Wessex which led the national programme to increase use of FeNO (fractional exhaled nitric oxide) testing in asthma diagnosis and management.
We now lead the Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP), a unique national collaboration developed to transform asthma and COPD pathways. The RTP brings together NHS, government, industry, academic, patient and third-sector organisations to work towards earlier diagnosis, safer care, strong community support and more equitable access.
Supporting innovators
We help innovators shape and test ideas that can improve respiratory care.
We offer early advice, research links and clear signposting to help teams develop, evaluate and spread new diagnostic, digital, device and AI tools.