The Children's Asthma Service offers a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency approach to providing a holistic and coordinated management, education, and support package of care to the child and family with asthma, recognising social, cultural and spiritual differences.
The overall aim of the service is to provide access for children aged 0-19 to an asthma team which includes an Asthma Nurse and a Consultant Paediatrician. Our aim is to deliver high quality care, management, and information regarding asthma, in line with best practice and the latest evidence.
Who are we?
The asthma nurse works Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm, and offers clinics at various locations across the city. Virtual clinics and telephone consultations are also available to suit the needs of the family.
In the evenings, at weekends, bank holidays, or in the middle of the night, families are advised to ring 111 for advice or 999 if their child is experiencing an acute asthma attack.
If a child is having an acute asthma attack, they must be brought to accident and emergency by ambulance not by personal transport.
The telephone number for the Panda Unit at Salford Royal Hospital is 0161 206 0600.
What we do
The paediatric asthma service offer support and advice/education and treatment to children and young people with asthma.
Our work includes support at home and in nurseries, schools or college; clinics, phone/virtual appointment and email support.
Our aim is to offer support with achieving optimum asthma control and self-management.
Asthma clinics
Face to face clinics are held at Pendleton Gateway, Eccles Gateway, Walkden Gateway and Swinton Gateway ensuring the service is accessible and as close to home as possible.
There are telephone clinics every week, telephone calls are arranged by appointment.
We offer Asthma training to family, schools/nurseries, other health professionals.
Most children with asthma will be managed by a GP or Practice Nurse.
We support children, young people and their families/carers to have an excellent understanding of asthma and how to self manage the condition.
The Specialist Asthma Nurse role is to:
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Assess asthma control
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Assess inhaler technique
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Provide education for parent and child- reinforced with written material
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Make decisions regarding appropriate medications and prescribe as needed
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Develop agreed Asthma Action Plan
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Agree review with Parents
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Liaise with GP /Practice nurse
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Discharge back to GP for regular review as soon as asthma control gained
When you meet with the asthma team for the very first time, we will complete a full assessment and provide you with all the information you need. Most children/young people will have had on-going symptoms for a long period of time before getting a definite diagnosis. This is extremely worrying particularly if the child has had attacks requiring regular GP appointments, A&E attendances or hospital admissions. This is usual as a diagnosis of asthma is based on past history and current symptoms. A diagnosis of asthma can feel very scary, but we are here to support you.
When you attend clinic, we need you to bring all medication, spacer devices, personalised asthma plan if you have one.
When you arrive, the clinic staff will check your child’s height and weight.
A full history will be taken, and physical examination of chest will be undertaken with child’s consent.
We will review treatments given to date, response if any to these treatments, ask about compliance with taking treatment and check your child’s inhaler technique. We may perform either peak flow testing or lung function testing if this is needed. We will complete an asthma control test.
We will provide you with:
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A prescription if any changes are made to treatment
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A personalised asthma action plan
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Plan for school or nursery
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Information leaflets, asthma control test and symptom diary
Referral from GP/Practice refer via the choose and book system (now e-RS) into General Paediatrics.
Referral from other health care professionals complete Referral Form for Paediatric & Allied Specialities and sent via e-mail to asthma2@nca.nhs.uk
Referral Criteria
Child over 2 years of age AND with any of the following:
- Child with newly diagnosed asthma
- Life threatening exacerbations requiring HDU/ ICU admission
- Child experiencing frequent or recurrent symptoms of asthma - Symptoms that are frequent and recurrent, diurnal variation (more in the evenings and early mornings), in presence of triggers, with history of atopy in individual or family members and response to treatment
- 2 or more courses of steroids within the last year for asthma exacerbation only
- Ongoing poor control of asthma symptoms
- Child having frequent hospital or GP attendance/ admissions to hospital due to asthma
- Child missing school/ nursery due to their asthma
- Affecting participation in normal everyday activities
- Where the child and family require further education and/or management regarding asthma
- Where there has been inappropriate management of an asthma exacerbation
- Children with to high probability of asthma who are difficult to diagnose and display some of the following: Frequent recurring symptoms with no viral illness, widespread wheeze on auscultation, reported triggers, nocturnal cough and exercise induced symptoms, response to Salbutamol, family history of atopy
Exclusion Criteria
- Children under 2 years of age
- Patients without an asthma diagnosis
- Patients with a low or low to intermediate probability of asthma (examples include: symptoms present from birth, symptoms associated with chest infections or upper respiratory infections only, persistent moist cough (consider Protracted bacterial bronchitis PBB) if there are focal signs in the chest (consider TB) failure to thrive, rhinitis or other ENT conditions (such as large tonsils)
- Inhaler technique only referrals
- Patients with Gastroesophageal reflux disease, viral wheeze, bronchiolitis, croup
Acceptance Criteria
Child over 2 years of age AND with any of the following:
- Child with newly diagnosed asthma
- Life threatening exacerbations requiring HDU/ ICU admission
- Child experiencing frequent or recurrent symptoms of asthma - Symptoms that are frequent and recurrent, diurnal variation (more in the evenings and early mornings), in presence of triggers, with history of atopy in individual or family members and response to treatment
- 2 or more courses of steroids within the last year for asthma exacerbation only
- Ongoing poor control of asthma symptoms
- Child having frequent hospital or GP attendance/ admissions to hospital due to asthma
- Child missing school/ nursery due to their asthma
- Affecting participation in normal everyday activities
- Where the child and family require further education and/or management regarding asthma
- Where there has been inappropriate management of an asthma exacerbation
- Children with medium to high probability of asthma who are difficult to diagnose and display some of the following: Frequent recurring symptoms with no viral illness, widespread wheeze on auscultation, reported triggers, nocturnal cough, exercise induced symptoms, response to Salbutamol or a family history of atopy.