World Asthma Day 2009

To mark World Asthma Day (Tuesday 5 May) Asthma UK has launched a report called 'Missing out', which reveals that three quarters of teachers are not completely confident about what to do if a child in their class has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.

This is despite the fact that asthma is the most common long-term condition affecting children in the UK and on average there are two children with asthma in every classroom.

The report is based on conversations with children across the UK and paints a bleak picture of life at school for children and young people with asthma.

Half the children we spoke to said that their asthma meant that they had problems joining in with lessons and going on school trips with the rest of their class. Almost three quarters said they had problems joining in PE lessons and 40% said their asthma stopped them having fun.

Download the reports

Missing Out - UK-wide report (184 kb)
Missing Out - England report (188 kb)
Missing Out - Northern Ireland report (161 kb)
Missing Out - Wales report (English language) (169 kb)
Missing Out - Wales report (Welsh language) (169 kb)

These reports have been supported by a grant from Napp Pharmaceuticals.

The release of 'Missing out' coincides with our first national fundraising week, Putting Asthma in the Limelight,  which is running from 2-10 May and aims to raise vital funds to support our services for children.

Asthma UK will be discussing the issues raised in the 'Missing Out' report in a range of events around the UK for World Asthma Day. As part of our call to action to help children with asthma, we will be asking governments to:

• Increase numbers of school nurses. We believe there should be access to a school nurse in every school. Westminster must ensure, as a minimum, that its 2004 pledge for every secondary school in England and its cluster of primary schools to have a specialist school nurse in post by 2010 is met.
• Introduce clear guidelines for schools on their responsibilities for supporting children with asthma. MPs in England should support the Private Members’ Bill on support for children with health conditions in schools. The 2006 Education and Inspections Act should be strengthened to establish standards for supporting children and young people with health conditions, and compliance should be inspected by OFSTED.
• Develop and implement consistent standards for asthma. There is an eightfold difference in emergency hospital admissions for children between different Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) across the country. More needs to be done to tackle this huge variation and to ensure that standards are actively implemented and regularly monitored. Scotland has children’s standards, Northern Ireland is currently consulting on children’s standards and Wales has a limited number. We want England to follow these examples.
  

We’re also asking schools to ensure that they have an asthma policy in place and that all school staff, including both teachers and support staff, are familiar with it and their responsibilities for implementing it.

To support this Asthma UK has worked in partnership with other health charities to pilot the first Medical Conditions at School Policy Pack in England and schools policy pack in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Asthma UK also runs Alert to Asthma sessions which train early years carers and teachers in the basic understanding of asthma, including treatments and a knowledge of what to do if a child in their care has an asthma attack.

Events around the UK

• Westminster Reception, London (5 May)
  An All Party Parliamentary Group on Asthma and Asthma UK joint reception to be attended by MPs, Peers, stakeholders and children with asthma.  Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and a young person with asthma have been invited to speak.
• Children’s Asthma Summit, Yorkshire and Humberside (5 May)
  An event hosted by Yorkshire and Humberside Strategic Health Authority for local healthcare professionals, managers and local authority Directors of Children's services.
• Children's Hospital Conference, Birmingham (5 May)
  A half day conference hosted by Birmingham Children's Hospital for secondary school PE teachers and school nurses.
  

• Children’s Commissioner Event, Belfast (5 May)
  The Children’s Commissioner will be the key note speaker at this Asthma UK Northern Ireland event which will also feature involvement from local children with asthma.

• Cross Party Group, Edinburgh (6 May)
  An event at Holyrood hosted by Asthma UK Scotland where children from the Asthma Committee at Auchnairn Primary in Bishopbriggs will put on a short performance and there will be a talk from an asthma nurse at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

• Youth Conference, Cardiff (5 May)
  The event, hosted by Asthma UK Cymru, will see children and young people with asthma from asthma hot spots in Wales visiting the Senedd to speak with their own assembly members and ministers about the issues facing them.
• Senedd turns lime, Cardiff (5 May)
  To show the Welsh Assembly Government’s support for the campaign, Jeff Cuthbert, Assembly member for Caerphilly and Chair of the Healthy Living Group will be lighting up the Senedd in lime green on the evening of World Asthma Day.