Information for professionals
All children admitted with asthma and those seen on two or
more occasions will be seen in the secondary care asthma clinic. We
also offer nurse led follow up clinics. We do not offer a lung
function only service but do offer an advice and guidance service.
We welcome referrals to the Consultant Nurse Clinic and Severe
Asthma Service which meet the below criteria.
Consultant Nurse clinic
Any child or young person aged 3 years or
over, diagnosed with troublesome viral induced wheeze or asthma
that is currently sub-optimally controlled.
Any child or young person aged 4 years or older, either
diagnosed or with a suspected diagnosis of asthma wheeze presenting
with any of the following:
- One or more admission for wheeze within the last 12 months
- Two or more emergency attendances or oral steroids courses for
wheeze within the last 12 months
Severe Asthma clinic
- Suspicion of significant exacerbating factors or additional
diagnoses, including breathing pattern disorders
- Maintenance or frequent courses of oral steroids (four weeks or
more in last year)
- Complex psychosocial / safeguarding issues
- Children under consideration for biological agents or
immunosuppressive treatment
Ongoing poor control despite optimised management with high dose
inhaled corticosteroids and a long acting beta agonist. Poor
control being defined as one or more of:
- Persistent chronic symptoms (most days for more than three
months) or an Asthma Control Score under 20
- Prescription of more than six salbutamol inhalers per year
- Persistent airflow obstruction (FEV₁ <80% post
bronchodilator)
- Two or more attacks within the past year requiring hospital
admission
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit admission within the past two
years
Please outline in your referral the main reason for referral,
current and past medications, and details of previous
investigations and recent hospital admissions.