Asthma team secure £100k funding

Asthma care within Stoke-on Trent has been given a £100k cash boost thanks to a research grant scooped by University Hospitals of North Midlands. 

The funding will deliver a 12 month Healthcare Inequalities Programme (IHIP), which will support four primary care networks in Stoke-on-Trent to improve access to asthma care for patients.

The asthma team will focus on specific GP practices, targeting patients who live in the most deprived areas due to poverty, ethnic groups and language barriers, which can lead to asthma not being managed properly or correctly diagnosed.

In addition to this, the funding will be used to purchase four feno machines, which aid diagnosis and the management of asthma, resulting in less hospital visits. 

Funds will be used to hire an education support nurse, who alongside the asthma nurse educator  will improve health care professional education for faster diagnosis, appropriate use of steroid inhalers and reduce the use of blue inhalers.

Dr Elfatih Idris, UHNM severe asthma lead and clinical lead for asthma biologic and IHIP project, said: “We are really pleased to receive this funding and that we can move forward with the 12 month project. It will mean faster diagnosis for patients, better patient and staff education, improvement in care and will close the gap in health inequalities.”