Asthma and COPD patients to receive better care closer to home

Tens of thousands of patients living with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will receive faster, better, and more-personalised care under a landmark new programme to tackle one of the leading causes of death and preventable hospital admissions in the UK.

The Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP) brings together NHS England, the Office for Life Sciences, 15 health innovation networks, and four leading pharmaceutical companies – AstraZeneca, Chiesi, GSK and Sanofi – in a co-funded programme worth over £10m.

It will demonstrate how the NHS and industry can work together to deliver innovation at scale, as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.

It will support teams on the ground to overhaul care for the roughly one in five people affected by respiratory disease during their lifetime, with a focus on the communities most affected.

Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death in the UK, contributing to more than 700,000 hospital admissions and around six million inpatient bed days each year – the vast majority of which are unplanned.

The partnership will use data and digital tools to:

• Identify patients who would benefit from more-targeted treatments
• Expand access to biologic medicines
• Ensure community and primary care teams can support patients closer to home

This will reduce the need for emergency admissions and ease pressure on hospitals, particularly during winter.

Better-managed respiratory conditions will also mean fewer days lost to illness, helping people stay in work and supporting the Government’s wider ambition to reduce health-related economic inactivity and raise living standards.

Respiratory disease is a significant driver of workplace absence across the UK and earlier, more-effective treatment has the potential to deliver meaningful gains for patients, employers, and the broader economy.

Through the implementation of this innovative partnership working in local communities across the country, patient outcomes will be improved and national productivity gains can be made 

Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation and Safety Minister, said: “Too many people with asthma and lung disease end up being rushed to hospital when, with the right care and support, that admission could have been avoided entirely.

“For far too long these patients have been let down because of a broken system.

“This government is bringing together the NHS, industry, and local health innovation networks to make sure patients get the treatment they need, closer to home, before their condition reaches crisis point.

“This £10m partnership is a concrete example of what our reform agenda looks like in practice, shifting care out of hospitals and into communities, using data to reach patients who have been missed, and working hand in hand with industry to get the best treatments to the people who need them most.”

The programme is chaired by Jonathan Fuld, national clinical director for respiratory disease, and is being co-ordinated by Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley on behalf of the Health Innovation Network.

Dr Fuld said: “The RTP can be a blueprint for how partnerships between the NHS, charities, professional bodies, and pharmaceutical companies can deliver better outcomes for people in every part of the country by improving rates of diagnosis, providing ongoing care and advice in local, neighbourhood services, and offering innovative treatments that can keep people out of hospital.”

It is backed by a broad coalition of clinical, academic and patient organisations, including Asthma and Lung UK, the Primary Care Respiratory Society, the British Thoracic Society, the National Respiratory Audit Programme, the Association of Respiratory Nurses, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Professor Ben Bridgewater, executive chair of the Health Innovation Network, said: “Through the implementation of this innovative partnership working in local communities across the country, patient outcomes will be improved and national productivity gains can be made.

By combining the NHS’s clinical expertise with the innovation and scientific capabilities of the life sciences industry, we can help ensure patients get earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and more support closer to home 

“This programme will create a practical blueprint of how innovation and collaboration can deliver better outcomes for patients while reducing pressure on hospitals and driving economic growth.”

Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, added: “For the millions of people living with asthma and COPD, partnerships like this can make a real difference to daily life.

“By combining the NHS’s clinical expertise with the innovation and scientific capabilities of the life sciences industry, we can help ensure patients get earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and more support closer to home.

“I look forward to seeing this collaboration turn innovation into practical improvements in care for patients across the country.”