New help for child asthma sufferers

CHILDREN in Warrington who suffer from asthma or a recurrent wheeze have a new option for treatment this winter after a pilot of a new service in the borough was extended for a further six months.
The Children’s Community Respiratory Team was set up in April with the aim of reducing the number of children who need to be admitted to hospital with complications of these conditions.
It’s a partnership between Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Bridgewater) and Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The service provides children, aged from one to 16 years, with specialist assessment and treatment plans.
This helps children and their parents to monitor and manage the condition so that there is less chance of it worsening to the point where they need to be admitted to hospital.
Caroline Kurt, Bridgewater clinical manager for children’s therapies, said: “Our service is specifically designed to help children who may find that they need hospital treatment when their respiratory condition worsens, particularly in the winter months. We will work with parents and their families to help them identify the signs and symptoms to look out for and give them the knowledge and support to help keep children well through the winter.”
The service is commissioned by Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group and referrals to the service can be made through Warrington GPs who can assess children against the service criteria.
The pilot will run until April next year and its success will be evaluated through patient/parental feedback and Public Health Analysis.
Feedback from parents who have used the service so far has been overwhelmingly positive.
Sister Janet Bedford, project lead at Warrington and Halton Hospitals is pleased with the feedback.
She said: “Comments from parents so far indicate that we are meeting the needs of parents and children of Warrington. Hopefully we will be able to help reduce the need for children to attend hospital, keeping them in their own homes and familiar surroundings where possible. It’s a great example of the hospital working with community services where it’s right for the benefit of our patients.”