The fantastic work of the Paediatric Asthma team at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals has been recognised by the Royal College of Physicians. The Trust has been identified as one of the top-performing sites in the country by the National Asthma and COPD Audit Programme (NACAP) for providing parents and carers with support and advice on stopping smoking.

This was based on an audit carried out by the Trust which demonstrated that 100 per cent of parents and carers of children or young people with asthma received information and advice on tobacco dependency. Participating in the audit were doctors Laima Kliene, Bushra Rafique, Maria Khurram and Professor Jeewan Rawal, consultant paediatrician, who said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised by the NACAP for ensuring that parents and carers are given information to help them stop smoking.”

“Smoking, both inside and outside the home, leads to passive smoking. This has shown to be a factor in causing asthma and other respiratory conditions in children.”

In the Trust’s Paediatric department, nurses and doctors ask parents and carers about smoking whenever a child comes to hospitals with asthma symptoms. This means they can be given the right support and advice, which could include referral to an anti-smoking clinic in the community.

The Paediatric Asthma Management team has also been expanded significantly, both in hospital and in the community, with three clinical nurse specialists joining the service. This has allowed us to improve how we care for children with asthma.