Asthma UK Northern Ireland welcomes draft respiratory service framework but warns of key omissions
27 April 2009

Asthma UK Northern Ireland is concerned that key omissions in the draft Service Framework for Respiratory Health and Wellbeing could hinder long-term improvements to the care and treatment of 182,000 people with asthma in Northern Ireland.

Read the response in full (197 kb)

Despite welcoming the framework, Asthma UK Northern Ireland is urging the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) to address key gaps, which include:

• Limited reference to allergy. We know that more than half of people with asthma also have an allergy and that poor management of allergies may lead to asthma, and affect asthma control. There is clear need for greater expertise on allergy among healthcare professionals to ensure that people with asthma and allergies receive the best and most appropriate care.
  
  
• Lack of reference to occupational asthma, which is the most frequently reported work-related respiratory condition in the UK and results in 12.7 million working days being lost each year. It’s therefore vital that employers and employees are fully aware of the risks of occupational asthma and how to minimise them.
  
  
• The need for a separate section setting out clear standards for transition services from childhood to adulthood. As young people go through adolescence and into early adulthood, it is essential that services are tailored to meet their varying needs.
  
  
• Limited mention of links with other services which impact on the health of people with asthma, such as education, transport and social services. Education in particular is crucial as there is an average of two children in each classroom with asthma and schools are an important partner in helping to improve asthma management.
  
  
• The need for external scrutiny of the framework and of asthma services, involving people with asthma, their carers and representative organisations. The framework sets out a plan for health services to assess their own performance. This is important but must be accompanied by independent review.

Once finalised, the framework will provide a key role in improving the respiratory health of people in Northern Ireland, including those with asthma. Northern Ireland has among the highest prevalence rates of asthma in the world with around 2,000 people admitted to hospital for their condition every year, almost half of whom are children.

The framework’s formal consultation period ended on 22 April 2009 and the DHSSPS will now make final changes to the document before publication in the summer.

Asthma UK Northern Ireland Director, Joan O'Hagan, says: ‘We very much welcome this draft framework from the DHSSPS and the open way in which the Department has involved us in its development.  It is a ground-breaking initiative which will ensure there are clear standards for both adults and children with asthma for the first time anywhere in the UK. The draft is a good start but there is still a way to go to ensure the delivery of excellent services for people with asthma for the longterm.’
 
Asthma UK Chief Executive, Neil Churchill, says: ‘The framework serves as a wake up call to other parts of the UK who need to follow the lead set by Northern Ireland. Asthma is a widespread and serious condition which sadly still kills an average of three people a day in the UK and can, for many people, limit their opportunities and impair their quality of life.’

Asthma UK Northern Ireland has issued its response to the DHSSPS ahead of World Asthma Day on Tuesday 5 May, when it will be issuing a report highlighting the exclusion faced by children and young people with asthma. Key issues highlighted in the report will be discussed at a special event to be held at the office of the Children’s Commissioner in Belfast. The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children will be the keynote speaker at the event and local children with asthma will also be attending.

To coincide with World Asthma Day, Asthma UK Northern Ireland will also be holding its first ever fundraising week called Putting Asthma in the Limelight running from 2 – 10 May, to raise money for services for children and young people with asthma.

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1. For further information, contact the Asthma UK media office on 020 7786 4949 or at mediaoffice@asthma.org.uk.
2. Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of 5.4 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma.
3. More than 182,000 people in Northern Ireland have asthma: 146,000 adults and 36,000 children.
4. For up-to-date news on asthma, information and publications, visit the Asthma UK website asthma.org.uk.
5. For independent and confidential advice on asthma, call the Asthma UK Adviceline, which is staffed by asthma nurse specialists. It is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm on 0800 121 62 44. Or email an asthma nurse at asthma.org.uk/adviceline.