Asthma Management

• Our aim is to minimise the impact of asthma on your everyday life through good care and management. We hope to enable you to take control of your asthma and offer all students an individual self-management plan.
• If you have asthma and have recently registered with the practice we would like to invite you to make an appointment to see the Practice Nurse to discuss your care. Please bring all of your treatment with you, as your inhaler technique will be checked.
• To make an appointment, telephone 01227 469333 and ask the receptionist for an asthma clinic appointment.
• If you are already registered with the Practice and your asthma is well controlled we would encourage you to see the Practice Nurse once a year to review your management.
• At an asthma consultation the Practice Nurse will review the severity of your symptoms, possible triggers, medication, and suggest ways of improving your care. Your self-management plan will include information on your medication, what to do if your asthma gets worse or your peak flow falls.
• We recommend that all our patients with asthma, who are on regular inhaled steroids, are vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcus. We run an immunisation clinic to administer the ‘influenza jabs in the Autumn – please make an appointment by contacting the receptionist as above.

What to do in an asthma attack

If you have an individual management plan follow the advice that has been given to you. Otherwise:

1. Take 2 puffs (or more if you have been advised) of your reliever (usually blue) immediately
2. Keep calm and try to relax as much as your breathing will let you
3. Sit down, don’t lie down
4. Try to slow your breathing down
5. Wait 5-10 minutes
6. If the symptoms disappear carry on as normal – make a mental note of any possible trigger for the attack.
7. If the reliever has no effect get help – call the doctor.
8. Take a further 2 puffs of your reliever inhaler. It is safe to continue to use your reliever inhaler every few minutes until help arrives.