A team of health professionals from the Whittington who work with schools in Islington to make them more asthma friendly have won two top awards.
The Whittington Health Children and Young People (CYP) Asthma Teams scooped the child and adolescent service award and the respiratory nursing award at the Nursing Times Awards last month.
Following a rigorous judging process, the team emerged as the winners for their collaborative work in schools and for their pioneering work to develop group consultations for children with viral-induced wheeze.
They picked up their awards at a glamorous bash at the Grosvenor Hotel in Park Lane.
Asthma is the most common long-term condition in children and young people. Sadly, it still causes fatalities in children as well as high rates of school absenteeism.
There are on average three children in a class of 30 with asthma and the Asthma Friendly Schools project raises awareness of asthma with school staff and provides information, training and support.
This project, supported by Islington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), has enabled 80 per cent of Islington schools to meet five key asthma friendly school standards with all of the schools receiving training.
Karen Rodesano, who worked on the asthma friendly schools project, said: "We started this project because 75 per cent of young people told us they needed more support with their asthma in school.
"This project has improved the quality of life for CYP, their families and carers, makes them safer in school and reduces the impact of asthma on their daily lives."
The group consultations are offered to families whose children attended the Whittington for "viral-induced wheeze". Almost two thirds reported they learnt something new from the sessions, which save nursing time and have led to a 31pc reduction in missed appointments.
Ana Marote, who developed the group consultations project, said: "In the beginning it was a hard slog as we had to change everything about the process involved in an outpatient appointment but the parents gave such positive feedback that we kept going."
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