Ian Walton
Former General Practitioner and Chair of Tipton Care Organisation
Biography
Ian worked as a GP in Tipton in the Black Country for 30 years. In 2013 he was awarded Clinical Leader of the Year by the National Association of Primary Care for his clinical leadership role within the award winning Sandwell integrated mental health and wellbeing model which demonstrated major health gains through early intervention using a range of community based services.
He has retired from practice but continues to do voluntary work in mental health and wellbeing, whilst researching, writing and teaching primary care mental health and wellbeing.
Abstract
The UK has one of the highest number of child deaths in the developed world and many of these excess deaths have been attributed to asthma. (1) Confidential enquiries have suggested that avoidable factors still play a part in the majority of asthma deaths.(2) In 2015, 1468 people died of asthma, the highest levels for 10 years,
In 2001 the lead author heard positive anecdotes, from a local headmistress, of an education programme running in local primary schools for 5-10 year old asthmatics. Aware that the benefits of the programme would need to be evidenced for it to be mainstreamed and having the opportunity to do so as chair of a consortium of 8 local practices wishing to pioneer community medicine and employing one of the first community pharmacists in the country, together with a public health statistician and a local university’s primary care research centre he evaluated a re-run of the project
The research showed many interesting findings including,33% of children recorded as asthmatics in school, but not registered as asthmatic by their GP. Prescribing and compliance was also well below par. The educational programme did lead to improved management of the disease, improving appropriate inhaler use, which was sustained 12 months after the project.
Educating the child with asthma and their parents, must be a way forward in reducing unnecessary deaths and improving outcomes. |Dr Walton intends to discuss at his presentation how we might prove that investment in low cost courses, run by health trainers is effective.