Lung Improvement

Our work on asthma

In January 2011 NHS Improvement called for expressions of interest from NHS organisation who would be undertaking service improvement in their asthma services within the next year.

We wanted to hear from people who were looking at any of the following areas in the asthma pathway:

• Diagnosis and medicines optimisation
• Transforming acute care
• Chronic disease management

We were also interested in hearing from organisations who were taking an integrated approach to asthma care.

Seven sites were chosen to work with us and they started their projects in May 2011.

They are working with us for one year (until May 2012) using a method of improvement called the ‘Model for Improvement’ to meet their specific aims and targets.

This involves:

• Defining the patient pathway – normally through process mapping and patient and public engagement work – to understand the patient journey and identify gaps, wastage and duplication in processes
• Understanding the current service – through analysis of ‘baseline’ data from the previous year on activity, looking at costs e.g. medications, and demand and capacity (where appropriate)
• Setting a timely, realistic and achievable goal for the improvement work e.g. reducing admissions by 10%, and getting a project group together with buy-in from stakeholders and support from an executive-level sponsor
• Testing small-scale innovation using a PDSA cycle (plan, do, study, act)
• Evaluating the project as they progress

Asthma publications

	Improving adult asthma care: Testing the case for change This publication is aimed at healthcare professionals, commissioners, patients and other key stakeholders involved in asthma services. It draws together the evidence and learning from the work undertaken by the national asthma improvement projects over a 12 month period in 2011/12 as part of the asthma workstream within the NHS Improvement – Lung programme. (August 2012) View the case studies
	Improving adult asthma care: Emerging learning from the national improvement projects (April 2012) View the case studies

View the Asthma project end event presentations from 18 May 2012

Links to more pages:
What is asthma?
Why is asthma important?
The seven asthma sites
What are we doing in asthma care?
Patient and public engagement in our work
Resources

For more information, please contact Hannah Wall, National Improvement Lead for Asthma, hannah.wall@improvement.nhs.uk or call on 07920 845 437.

Or alternatively, contact the Lung PA Victoria Ward on victoria.ward@improvement.nhs.uk