Funded by The Burdett Trust for Nursing, this project aimed to create health visitor ambassadors for respiratory health.
Taking a preventative approach to respiratory illnesses is important, particularly for babies and young children who are most vulnerable to respiratory infections and chronic respiratory disease(CRD) which often have their roots in early childhood and are influenced by preventable environmental factors.
This project developed training and resources to strengthen health visitors' knowledge of chronic respiratory conditions, including asthma, cystic fibrosis and preterm chronic lung disease. With a focus on environmental risk factors such as air pollution, the project aimed to raise awareness and equip health visiting teams to provide effective health-promotion messages, support families to reduce harm, and act as local leaders in improving respiratory health outcomes for children.
A half-day Ambassador Respiratory Health training programme was developed with a range of supporting resources, including:
- Animation on air pollution, cystic fibrosis and preterm chronic lung disease
- Infographics on each topic
- A-Z of useful organisations/ resources
- Video of a parent’s lived experience of air pollution and its impact on their child's chronic respiratory disease
- Podcast with Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, campaigner on clean air following the death of her 9-year-old daughter Ella, who was the first person in the UK to have air pollution recorded as the cause of death.