All health professionals need to have the competence, knowledge, skills and confidence to care and treat children and young people (CYP) with respiratory disease. The National Bundle of Care (NBC) for CYP with asthma has a section on training and competencies (National Capabilities Framework for professionals who care for CYP with asthma)
Good integrated care is vital for managing long term conditions well. Evidence from Finland suggests a simple integrated approach decreases asthma mortality and emergency bed days resulting in improved quality at decreased cost.
Education and training
Free online training courses
- eLearning module for health professionals.
- This poster, produced by Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Strategic Clinical Networks, describes who should take up the free NHS online training.
- Online education made possible thanks to The George Coller Memorial Fund
Workforce
Sample job descriptions
- Asthma clinical nurse specialist – Band 7 – Guys and St Thomas’s
- Asthma deputy clinical nurse specialist – Band 6 – Guys and St Thomas’s
- Healthcare scientist specialist – Band 6 – Guys and St Thomas’s
- Paediatric asthma nurse (with a focus on schools)
Alternative models of workforce
The Community Champions UK programme builds on the skills and knowledge of local communities in northwest London. It involves Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and the City of Westminster.
- Visit the Community Champions UK website to find out more.
- Download the Champs Manual from the Asthma Community Network website.
Award winners at the NPRANG conference, Hillingdon’s role modelling asthma clinic project supports and upskills practice nurses in primary care enabling more children’s asthma services to be co-delivered in the community/neighbourhoods within primary care networks with support from a specialist nurse team.