Health minister’s praise for Asthma UK
14 June 2006

Health minister Rosie Winterton MP has praised Asthma UK’s work, in a parliamentary debate addressing the future of asthma services.

The debate, sponsored by newly elected MP for Dumfermline and West Fife, Willie Rennie, aimed to continue to raise the profile of asthma issues in Parliament following Asthma UK's successful World Asthma Day reception at the House of Commons at the beginning of May.

Mr Rennie, who has asthma he describes as ‘mild’, praised the good work the Government had done for people with asthma, and also welcomed the ban on smoking in public places in Scotland. He also referred to his family’s experience of living with asthma and the effect this had on their quality of life:

‘My sister, Caroline, had undiagnosed asthma for many years, and her quality of life suffered as a consequence - at one point, she ended up in hospital with pneumonia …. My elder son, Alexander, has had two extended visits to hospital in years two and three of his life.

‘When GPs, nurses and pharmacists ask people with asthma whether their condition is under control, the people often say, “Yes,"’ continued Mr Rennie. ‘But if they are asked whether they can climb stairs without wheezing, whether they can sleep for a whole night without wheezing and whether they can run for the bus, they often say, “No”. People accept far too much of their condition, and awareness needs to be raised among people with asthma about the quality of life that they could live.’

Mr Rennie urged the minister to look again at key issues such as how to further develop self-management programmes for people with asthma, which could save the NHS money by reducing emergency visits to hospital.

Rosie Winterton, Minister of State for Health Services (pictured), responded by paying tribute to ‘the outstanding contribution of bodies such as Asthma UK’ and later described two Asthma UK projects that are improving quality of life for people with asthma – one in West Sussex that provides swimming lessons for children with asthma, and another in Hackney which is training 80 people in self-management and living healthy lifestyles.

‘Diseases such as asthma present a massive challenge to the health and social care system,’ asserted Ms Winterton. ‘It is a challenge that will need to be met by services that benefit not only from the increased funding in the system, but from the reforms to service delivery. By focusing on the needs of patients, we empower them to take control of their own health and care.’