Abstract

Introduction
Poor housing conditions, including damp and mould, are recognised modifiable risk factors for asthma morbidity and wider respiratory disease across the life course. The importance of safe, healthy housing has been highlighted nationally through the introduction of Awaab’s Law, following the tragic death of two year old Awaab Ishak in 2020, whose death was linked to prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his family’s social housing. Healthcare professionals can play an important role in identifying when housing may be affecting a person’s respiratory health and wellbeing.

Method
Stakeholder engagement was undertaken through regional webinars, incorporating lived experience from families. Feedback from these webinars led to a multiagency task and finish group being established to bring together clinicians, public health, local authorities and voluntary sector partners. To develop and implement a practical, cross-sector, relevant toolkit which enables healthcare professionals to identify, escalate, and act on housing concerns which are impacting asthma/respiratory outcomes.

Results
The toolkit provides clear, step by step guidance for any healthcare professional to recognise housing related health risks; sensitively ask families about living conditions and fuel poverty; obtain consent; and escalate concerns using standardised, proportionate template letters tailored to social and private housing landlord contexts. The toolkit also signposts social prescribing, safeguarding pathways, and local authority enforcement routes, ensuring information shared is actionable, proportionate, and governance compliant.

Conclusion
The toolkit has been positively received across health care, respiratory networks, safeguarding partners, and housing providers. Early feedback suggests improved clinician confidence, more timely escalation of housing concerns, and strengthened collaboration between health and housing services. It has received recognition nationally and has been made available to all clinicians across the country via Asthma and Lung UK’s website: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/supporting-patients-indoor-pollution