Designed by The Institute of Clinical Science and Technology, the toolkit has been adopted by all GP practices and hospitals in NHS Wales. 

A respiratory toolkit designed by digital therapeutics firm The Institute of Clinical Science and Technology is improving outcomes and reducing health inequalities for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Wales.

The toolkit, which has been adopted by all GP practices and hospitals in NHS Wales, provides a personalised, digital care plan for patients to take control of their condition. 

“We’re seeing patients showing a significant improvement in wellness scores in as little as three months,” said Simon Barry, national respiratory clinical lead at NHS Wales. 

He said that the biggest improvement is among patients using the asthma app for four months or more who are seeing their wellness score increase by 41% and that users in socioeconomically deprived areas, and young people are seeing the greatest improvements in their Royal College of Physicians (RCP) 3-questions score.

The toolkit has also driven significant reductions in the use of reliever inhalers, an important marker of disease control. 

Behaviour change 

Co-produced with patients, policymakers and clinical experts from within stakeholder groups, including the National Respiratory Audit Programme (NRAP), Asthma and Lung UK (ALUK), NHS Wales and NHS England, the toolkit uses the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour) model to drive behaviour change. The app provides support, including a personalised care plan and progress tracking, to help individuals manage their health.

The toolkit is now expanding to other disease groups, offering a scalable model to meet rising care demand without overburdening healthcare professionals.

Members of the Respiratory Health Improvement Group (RHIG) in Wales will outline how the successful outcomes have been achieved across Wales during a webinar on 13 March, chaired by Lia Ali, clinical advisor at the NHS Transformation Directorate for NHS England.