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Now is the time to make MART moves for asthma. We have been using the separate blue (reliever) and brown (preventer) inhalers for far too long. The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) came out a decade ago, yet as a nation, we still have the highest asthma death rate in Europe. This is unsurprising, considering many patients still rely on their blue inhalers alone. However, 

Maintenance and reliever therapy (MART) is a treatment for asthma where a single combined inhaler is used for both maintenance and reliever purposes, instead of having separate preventer (brown) and reliever (blue) inhalers. 

In our latest podcast Carol Stonham (PCRS Policy Lead and Respiratory Nurse) is joined by Hannah Leatherland (Air Quality Education Projects Officer for Cheltenham Borough Council) to explore raising awareness of green issues in schools and housing. Together they dive into what Hannah's trailblazing role entails in Cheltenham and what the 'Care for our Air' initiative is. Hannah provides some helpful suggestions about identifying poor air quality and how to improve it.

Be proactive, not reactive.All schools, teachers and school nurses have a responsibility to keep children safe and well. As reported in the National Review of Asthma Deaths: What did we learn and what needs to change? by Dr Mark Levy, 28 children and young people died from asthma during the review - equivalent to losing an entire classroom.

In this children and young people and schools episode of the PCRS Podcast, Ren Lawlor (PCRS Executive Vice-Chair and Advanced Nurse Practitioner) is joined by Lisa Cummings (Children and Young Peoples Senior Specialist Asthma Practitioner) and Corinne Beirne (Advanced Nurse Practitioner in General Practice).Together, they discuss the important conversations that need to happen with teachers, school nurses, and administrators to ensure the right care is in place for children and young people with asthma.

Inhalation is the main route for administration of drugs for conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The advantage of administering drugs by inhaler is that drugs are delivered directly to the site of action within the airways. The onset of action is rapid and systemic adverse effects are minimised. However, for an inhaler to be effective the correct drug must be prescribed and the device must be used correctly. Poor inhaler technique is common.

A new interactive resource to facilitate the delivery of holistic care.This digital resource allows you to explore how respiratory conditions can impact people in other ways. It will act as a ‘comorbidity map’ and facilitate better joined up and holistic care.

Promoting practical action that can help to reduce the environmental impact of respiratory healthcare.Use this calendar to identify practical steps you can take to make your respiratory healthcare greener – either in the short term or the long term. This resource enables you to take a ‘small steps of change’ approach to achieving greener healthcare around a busy practice environment. Take part in the challenge as an individual or with your practice team.

What is a good COPD review? In this podcast Carol Stonham (Respiratory Nurse and PCRS Policy Forum Lead) answers this very important question with Bill Stubley (COPD Patient and PCRS Patient Representative).Bill shares his experiences of 16 years of living with COPD and what his annual reviews have been like, and between them Carol and Bill discuss what a really good COPD review should look like for both you and your patients.