The Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP) is a unique national initiative developed by the Health Innovation Network, NHS England and the Office for Life Sciences, with industry partners. It is designed to drive whole pathway transformation in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care, creating a new model of joint transformation delivery. It will bring policy, commissioning, innovation and frontline adoption together under one programme.
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 COPD the most common long-term respiratory conditions. Respiratory diseases account for around 20% of all deaths and contribute to approximately 8% of hospital admissions and 10% of inpatient bed days.
The economic burden is also significant, with respiratory conditions costing the UK economy an estimated £188 billion annually.
Health inequalities remain a defining feature of respiratory disease. People living in the most deprived areas face significantly higher rates of emergency admissions and premature mortality from respiratory disease.
With the right guidance, timely care and targeted support, asthma and COPD are treatable.
Our aims
By December 2027 the Respiratory Transformation Partnership will have:
- Contributed to reducing premature mortality, hospital admissions, and respiratory bed days
- Supported progress in reducing unwarranted variation in access to biologics and guideline-led care
- Built workforce capability with new roles, training, and national leadership
- Deployed digital tools (risk stratification, dashboards, remote monitoring) at scale
- Created a blueprint for system wide innovation aligned with the 10-Year Health Plan for England.
Making a difference
- FOR PATIENTS … by giving them a better quality of life with faster access to life changing treatments.
- FOR THE NHS … by reducing pressure during the winter months, delivering a sustainable respiratory service and freeing up capacity.
- FOR THE UK … by getting people back to work and strengthening the role of the UK as a global hub for respiratory innovation and life sciences investment
Partner organisations
The Respiratory Transformation Partnership brings together a unique coalition of NHS, government, industry, academic, patient and third-sector organisations. From national anchors and industry partners to regional NHS teams, clinical networks, Integrated Care Boards, clinicians, and patient representatives, each plays a defined role in co-developing and delivering sustainable transformation.
Crucially, the RTP provides a single national vehicle through which partners can align and bring forward initiatives under a shared vision. This approach reduces duplication, enables collaboration and optimises the chances of delivering sustainable and successful transformation at scale.
Our partnership brings together:
- Health Innovation Network
- NHS England
- NHS England regions and clinical networks
- Office for Life Sciences
- Asthma + Lung UK
- British Thoracic Society
- Association of Respiratory Nurses
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- National Respiratory Audit Programme (NRAP)
- Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology (ARTP)
- Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS)
Delivering transformational change
The programme will be delivered through four core workstreams. Each workstream will be designed to address a distinct aspect of respiratory transformation and will be clinically led. Find out more about the clinical leads here.
Workstream 1 – Asthma Neighbourhood Development
Clinical Lead: Professor Michael Crooks
- Focuses on early identification, diagnosis and risk stratification of asthma in community settings
- Aims to support implementation of the BTS, NICE, SIGN asthma guideline (NG244) across the healthcare system and develop new models of care at a neighbourhood level
- Supports proactive, equitable care aligned to evidence-based practice and addressing health inequalities.
“The 2024 BTS, NICE, SIGN guideline provides an opportunity to significantly improve outcomes for people living with asthma across the UK. However, it can only achieve this if it is implemented in practice. Workstream 1 of the RTP will be codesigned with clinicians from across the healthcare system and with people with asthma so that it can truly meet the needs of those delivering and receiving asthma care in the neighbourhood setting. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the healthcare sector and in full alignment with the other RTP workstreams, we will work to support the delivery of proactive and equitable, evidence-based, guideline-recommended care.” – Michael Crooks
Workstream 2 – Asthma Biologics Access
Clinical Lead: Dr Thomas Brown
- Focuses on addressing variation in biologics uptake across systems and populations
- Aims to improve access to biologics for patients with severe asthma in accordance with NICE TAGs (TA565, TA751, TA671, TA984, TA278)
- Supports local ICB commissioning readiness and service transformation.
Workstream 3 – COPD Neighbourhood Development
Clinical Lead: Dr Sarah Elkin
- Focuses on early and accurate diagnosis and risk stratification of COPD in the community
- Aims to develop new models of care at neighbourhood level, identify and manage high-risk patients earlier in the disease course and prevent avoidable deterioration and admissions
- Supports proactive, equitable care aligned to evidence-based practice and addressing health inequalities.
Workstream 4 – COPD Biologics Readiness
Clinical Lead: Professor James Dodd
- Focuses on preparing ICBs and COPD pathways to enable equitable access to future COPD biologics
- Aims to align commissioning pathways, workforce education and data infrastructure across ICBs
- Supports local ICB commissioning readiness and service transformation.
“I am looking forward to working in partnership with experts across the system to ensure the NHS is ready to deliver advanced therapies for COPD safely, effectively and fairly. Workstream 4 focuses on preparing the NHS for the potential introduction of biologics in COPD care. Our aims are to support services in identifying the right patients, designing robust clinical pathways and building workforce capability, while aligning commissioning processes and data infrastructure across ICBs. By driving local commissioning readiness and service transformation, and embedding data-driven monitoring and collaboration, this work will link seamlessly with the COPD neighbourhood pathway and align with the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan.” – James Dodd
Stay up to date
This page will be updated regularly as new information and resources become available. We encourage you to check back often for the latest updates.
If you are an NHS employee you can access further details, resources and discussions by joining the NHS Futures platform.