As part of a piece of funded work Asthma + Lung UK are doing with NHSE on lower-carbon inhalers, we’re creating a short storyteller video, featuring someone who has had a positive experience of changing to a dry powder or soft mist inhaler. If you’re not sure what inhaler you have, you can find out here.
It would involve being filmed and answering a few questions about your inhaler and how you manage your lung condition. We would need a few hours of your time and can travel to your home. As this is part of a funded project, we can also compensate you for your time.
For more advice on inhaler choices, visit the Asthma + Lung UK website. This includes advice on changing to a lower-carbon inhaler and how inhalers affect the environment.
If you’re interested, or know someone who might be, please contact Wendy Davies, Health Advice Manager at Asthma + Lung UK, on wdavies@asthmaandlung.org.uk
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Many people on this forum have had very negative experiences when being compulsorily moved from ventolin to salamol, which they find less powerful and more irritating. There are also powerful accounts on the forum of people's struggle when their gp just moves their main combination inhaler to a dry powder version.
The key issue appears to be that people are not being given a choice, they are just being compulsorily moved to dry powder inhalers.
It has even alleged that GPS are being financially rewarded for moving people to dpi.
So should you not do a poll of forum members on the issue, before proceeding further with your plan to do videos supporting the change.
It is not a green thing to do, to switch people to less powerful inhalers, meaning they have to attend a and e more often, with all the emissions caused by the ambulance etc.
Carol, could you please let us know what Asthma UK is doing to support the many asthmatics who cannot tolerate DPIs and don’t find Salamol as effective? Your website states, about Ventolin and Salamol “both of these pMDIs work just as well as each other”. This simply isn’t true for many of us! It seems to me you are denying the lived experience of the very people you purport to represent, and who raise money on your behalf.
I’d like an explanation and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Just looked at the lung condition survey; quote from the front page: "What do you want us to know about living with your lung condition? Please share your experiences in our latest survey. Your voice matters."
I have forwarded your question onto our health advice team who have been doing most of the work on green inhalers, they have asked me to forward on this response to you:
Hi eleanordigby,
We understand that different people with asthma, COPD or another lung condition that requires inhalers may have different preferences about which inhalers they use. As part of a much larger programme of work to try and reduce the amount of carbon emission produced by the NHS, primary care is being asked to improve asthma and COPD care management, whilst reducing carbon emissions.
This is being done partly by prescribing more inhalers with a lower carbon footprint, when clinically appropriate, as well as optimising the way patients use their inhalers. This includes encouraging people to take their preventer inhaler every day, as prescribed, and ensuring the right inhaler technique is used, so less medicine is wasted.
Asthma + Lung UK and the NHS are working together to ensure that patients are supported to change inhalers safely. In the instance that an MDI is more appropriate, a patient should never be ‘pushed’ to accept an inhaler with a lower carbon footprint. The decision about your inhaler should always be a shared decision between you and your GP, respiratory nurse or pharmacist.
For anyone changing inhaler, your GP, pharmacist or respiratory nurse should talk you through what is suitable for you and show you how to use your inhaler. It’s also really important to know that if anyone tries a new inhaler and finds it doesn’t suit them, they can ask to find an alternative, which may be the original inhaler.
If you’d like some more advice, information or support, you can find on our Inhaler Choices web page asthma.org.uk/advice/inhale... And you’re always welcome to call our helpline and talk with one of our nurses on 0300 222 5800 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
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Blue Inhaler (salbutamol)
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