The Asthma Podcast - Transcript November 2009
Luke: Welcome to the Asthma Podcast. Every month we’ll bring you news, research updates and ways you can support us. This month, find out how you could help influence the future of asthma care in England, also we launch a new online teaching resource and we have news of how you can subscribe to Asthma Magazine.
Luke: People with asthma have a unique opportunity to help shape the future of asthma care in England. To find out more we’re joined by Will Flower from our Policy and Public Affairs team. Will, thanks for joining us. What’s happening and how can people get involved?
Will: Our friends at the Department of Health are going to hold public events which need adults with asthma to attend. There’s going to be about five events held across England where 'Joe Public' with asthma can give his or her views about the Government’s new strategy document for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – that sounds complicated but the key point is that this document includes a chapter on asthma. So it’s really important that people have the chance to give their views on their healthcare. That’s why Asthma UK and the BLF are helping the Department of Health promote these events in Taunton, Walsall, Leeds, Liverpool and London.
Luke: So people with asthma will get to have their say, what will be the next steps once the consultations have taken place?
Will: Well the consultation runs for 12 weeks, so the Department of Health is going to have until around February to hear from people who were unable to attend these events in person. They can do this online and information will be available on our website.
Luke: So why is important that people get involved?
Will: It’s absolutely vital that people with asthma get involved. As you said, this document is going to shape the future of asthma care in England so it really needs to be based on people’s own experiences with their GP, with their nurse, with their clinician, anyone who’s given them healthcare.
Luke: And what other ways can people with asthma help influence asthma care?
Will: There are just so many opportunities for people to influence. Once again, go again to the Influencing pages on our website where we keep our supporters updated on our campaigning work. We know that many many people feel very strongly about these issues so whatever you do, don’t sit on the sidelines, get involved by coming to one of these public events to give your views to the Government. We really haven’t had a chance like this for some time so do get involved.
Luke: Asthma UK has launched a new website for teachers to help them fit asthma into the curriculum. To find out more we’re joined by our Children and Young People’s manager Jenny Parry. Can you tell us a bit more about the website and the resources available?
Jenny: This is a free online teaching resource to work to be used in the classroom for 7-11-year-olds across the whole of the UK. There’s all sorts of things that the teachers can use and download from the website free of charge. There’s quizzes, there’s voxpops so children can actually go on and hear from young people themselves, what it’s like to have asthma. So there’s a whole selection of activities and things that the teachers can download.
Luke: And there are also some videos available...
Jenny: There are, there are three voxpops on these. Some short stories from children themselves who’ve got asthma, talking about their condition, what it’s like to have asthma and how it doesn’t stop them from taking part in everyday activities.
Luke: And what are the benefits of integrating asthma into the curriculum?
Jenny: Well we know that there are 1.1m children in the UK with asthma, which on average is two children in every classroom, so it’s really important that asthma can be brought alive in the classroom that children can talk about it as a subject that’s relevant so children can support each other, support their friends and their peers if they have got asthma.
Luke: Where can people find these resources?
Jenny: They’re free to download from asthma.org.uk/educate
Luke: If you’d like to get the latest news, research and asthma advice delivered to your door, you can sign up to receive Asthma Magazine. To find out more, we’re joined by the magazine’s editor, Elizabeth McGrath. Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. Some of our listeners might not be familiar with Asthma Magazine so can you just give us a bit of a flavour of what it’s about.
Elizabeth: Asthma Magazine is a quarterly magazine for anyone affected by or with an interest in asthma. Each issue we feature interviews with real life people living with the condition, some who care for their children or a loved one with asthma. People who directly affected by living with it themselves, features with healthcare professionals or researchers. So it really gives a flavour from everyone’s perspective who’s affected by asthma and the idea is, it keeps you up to date with the latest news and research, gives you advice from our asthma nurse specialists and also because it’s got loads of real life stories that it just makes you feel that little bit less isolated. Because we know from a lot of the letters we get from readers that having asthma, particularly for those with severe asthma, that it can be quite an isolating experience. So its just nice for some people to be able to read a story about someone else who’s had the same problem and say, ‘oh, great I’m not alone – someone else is coping with that…’ and that’s good.
Luke: And we’re expanding the way people can receive the magazine aren’t we? So it’s available to a wider audience.
Elizabeth: We are! We’re very excited about this. The magazine has, until now, been a membership magazine, so for the members of Asthma UK. Whereas, now we’re going to start making it available more widely to anyone and they can subscribe for £15 a year to get four copies of the magazine. And we’re hoping that by giving this alternative way of receiving the magazine that it will become a lot more widely read and because we know that it does make a difference to the lives of people with asthma.
Luke: And you mentioned there - people with asthma, but it’s not just for people with asthma is it? It’s for a wider audience.
Elizabeth: It’s for anyone affected by asthma, so whether that be a healthcare professional who wants to understand better what it’s like for the people that they’re treating or who want to keep a top line level update on research, new treatments or new policy procedures. It’s for parents, caring for a child with asthma, for someone who is a carer of someone with asthma who wants to read about people caring for people affected by the condition. It’s for anyone and we cover all severities of asthma and all ages.
Luke: And the people will have the opportunity to contribute feature ideas or content for the magazine?
Elizabeth: Yes, absolutely. A lot of the features in the magazine, and the content in general is in response to readers. We’ve just done a feature about asthma and obesity, and that’s very much in response to letters we’ve received and calls that we’ve received saying people have noticed that their weight affects their asthma and they want to know why. It’s also quite topical at the moment because there’s been a lot of research about asthma and obesity in the news recently so people are wondering – what is the link, and what can I do about my weight if its affecting my asthma?
Luke: And finally, how can people subscribe to the magazine?
Elizabeth: You can subscribe to the magazine by going onto the website and downloading the direct debit form and returning that to us. There’s a dedicated page on the website where you can have a look and get a taste of what the magazine’s like if you’ve never seen it before. You can also now download a PDF of the previous issue to get a real idea of it.
You can also ring our Supporter and Information team on 0800 121 62 55 or in every issue now for the magazine there is a subscription form that you can cut off and return so if you have the magazine already and pass it on to someone that might be interested in it, they can just fill that in. You can pass it on to your GP surgery when you’re done with it, then people that see that there can also have the option to fill it there and then and return it to us.
Follow us on Twitter
Find us on Facebook