An innovative pilot has been launched in Oldham looking to transform services for children and young people living with asthma and related conditions.
As part of the programme, if a child or young person’s asthma is determined to be uncontrolled despite treatment and addressing triggers, they will be referred onto the Asthma Biologics pathway to assess whether they are eligible for biologic therapy medication. This specialist treatment uses antibodies produced from cells in a laboratory which can target specific cells in the body.
Kai is a patient who has benefitted from the Asthma Biologics pathway. Dr Prakash Kamath, Divisional Clinical Director at Bury Care Organisation said: “Kai is one of the few patients who can be described as Severe Asthma. His quality of life has improved hugely with this new treatment, and we have rarely seen him since then. Biologics have been a game changer for children in the severe asthma spectrum allowing them to enjoy what a child of their age should be able to do so.”
Since starting the treatment:
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Kai experiences less frequent exacerbations
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His symptoms are less severe
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Recovery is quicker
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His symptoms are now managed away from the High Dependency Unit (HDU) at The Royal Oldham Hospital
Victoria Abbott, Paediatric Asthma Nurse Specialist at The Royal Oldham Hospital has been supporting Kai and his family and said: “The objectives for his treatment have been met and hopefully will continue to improve over the coming months. Kai has a better quality of life and can enjoy normal childhood activities which are essential for children to grow and develop physically, mentally and emotionally with their peers.”
Kai’s mother added: “I feel like it has improved Kai’s asthma, he is staying out of hospital for longer periods of time and attending school more.”
The pilot is part of the wider Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme (InHIP) a unique collaboration between the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), NHS England’s National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme and the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and delivered in partnership with integrated care systems (ICSs).