Health Innovation Manchester (HInM) is expanding its paediatric asthma project to improve asthma care for children and young people (CYP) and help to reduce smoking prevalence in households. Following the success of the initial pilot project that was run at Oldham Royal Infirmary, further agreement has been reached to continue the work to tackle healthcare inequalities in another Greater Manchester locality. 

Recognising the high prevalence of paediatric asthma, asthma-related hospital admissions and smoking in Greater Manchester, the first pilot project was launched in October 2022 and centered on improving asthma diagnosis and management using Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) testing, a cutting-edge technology that measures lung inflammation and aids in asthma diagnosis and monitoring.  

FeNO testing is now recommended in NICE guidelines published in November 2024  to diagnose asthma in children aged 5 to 16. 

Children and young people (CYP) admitted to hospital with asthma in Oldham were offered FeNO tests, with follow-up tests in the community to monitor the progress of asthma management. For those with uncontrolled severe asthma, after assessment, appropriate referrals were made to the local paediatric asthma biologic pathway, where they could receive access to specialist medication designed to achieve long-term asthma control.  

The pilot also addressed smoking habits within CYP’s households as this can exacerbate the symptoms of asthma. Families and young people were offered stop-smoking advice and connected to local cessation services or the Smoke Free digital app, to help them to quit. 

Health Innovation Manchester also worked closely with local communities to gain a better understanding of the challenges families face when trying to quit smoking and manage asthma. Community representatives helped to shape the development of educational resources to improve understanding of asthma and the negative impact of smoking. 

Building on the achievements in Oldham, the project is now expanding to Tameside. Tameside has the highest hospital admission rate in under-19s for asthma in England. There are 350* per 100,000 hospital admissions for asthma (under 19 years) in Tameside every year compared to the average of 122 per 100,000 in England.  

The second phase will incorporate learnings from the project in Oldham and will also include the opportunity to have a follow-up FeNo test in primary care. 

By expanding into a new locality, the project will enable more families to benefit from enhanced asthma care and support while continuing to address smoking-related health risks. 

Cath Barrow, Senior Programme Development Lead at Health Innovation Manchester said: “I am proud of the work we have already undertaken in Oldham to address the prevalence of paediatric asthma and the effects of smoking on the condition. Our unique whole family approach to addressing healthcare inequalities was just the beginning and helped to lay the foundations for the further work needed in areas with high prevalence of asthma and deprivation. I look forward to working with partners in Tameside to help create a healthier future for young people.” 

Dr Robert Block, Paediatric Consultant at Tameside Hospital, said: “We are delighted to be able to bring this programme to Tameside for the benefit of our children and young people. Asthma is a priority area in Tameside and having seen the impact of the project in Oldham, we know this will improve the standard of care provided to those who need it.” 

The paediatric asthma project is part of NHS England’s Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme (InHIP) designed to address the stark healthcare inequalities experienced by deprived and under-served communities across England. The project aligns with NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework established to focus on priority clinical areas such as respiratory conditions, mental health, and cardiovascular disease, whilst supporting increased access to NICE-approved technologies. 

The team at HInM hope that the work carried out in Oldham and Tameside will help to support the development of a delivery model for FeNo testing for CYP’s in England. 

*Child and Maternal Health – Data | Fingertips | Department of Health and Social Care (phe.org.uk) 

Photo provided by IPCRG