General practice in London is under significant pressure as are Accident and emergency departments. Good integrated care is vital for managing long term conditions well. Evidence from Finland suggests a simple integrated approach decreases asthma mortality and emergency bed days resulting in improved quality at decreased cost.
Pacesetter programme
The PACE SETTER Award UK is a new initiative for Primary and Community Care in the NHS. It has been designed by those working within the primary and community care sector. The South East Coast Strategic Clinical Network (SEC SCN) for Children and Young People have piloted this approach. It is a voluntary but formal system for recognising, celebrating, promoting and sharing excellence in the provision of health services to Children and Young People. A PACE SETTER organisation will be known by its younger patients, and their carers and families, to be committed to the provision of well-designed, consistent, coordinated, family-friendly and patient-centred care.
Role of community champions and non-health care workforce
There is an opportunity to build an alternative workforce which includes, peer and health advocates. Consider innovative ways to engage people through the use of community advocates, peer educators similar to those used in diabetes the ‘Know Diabetes’ project in northwest London.
Other examples
The Community Champions UK programme builds on the skills and knowledge of local communities in northwest London. It involves Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and the City of Westminster.
Visit the Community Champions UK website to find out more
Download the Champs Manual from the Asthma Community Network website
Please find example slides below to help run education programmes for your workforce:
Award winners at the NPRANG conference, Hillingdon’s role modelling asthma clinic project supports and upskills practice nurses in primary care enabling more children’s asthma services to be co-delivered in the community/neighbourhoods within primary care networks with support from a specialist nurse team.
Please find free online training courses here:
- free online education which is available here, made possible thanks to The George Coller Memorial Fund
- free eLearning module for non-specialists
- Education for health ‘Difficult asthma’ module-free online eLearning for health-asthma
- See here for explanatory presentation
For recognised diploma level training – Education for health