Asthma Action Plan
Ask your doctor or nurse for an asthma action plan if you have not already been given one.
Take a photo of the plan and keep this on your phone or tablet so you have it with you whenever you need it.
Keep a copy on your fridge or somewhere obvious so you know what to do to stay on top of your asthma and have a think about sharing this with friends, family or colleagues who may need to know how to support you.
Inhalers
Improve your inhaler technique in three minutes. Watch a short video to learn how to use your inhaler properly and better manage your respiratory symptoms.
Take Your Medication As Prescribed
The aim for you to stay symptom- free so that your condition doesn’t stop you from getting on with life. If you’ve been given a preventer inhaler, take it every day as prescribed – usually morning and evening. Even if you have no asthma symptoms at all, you still need to take your preventer inhaler every day to help you stay well, because the protective effect builds up over time and then needs to be kept at a certain level to keep symptoms under control.
Make sure you’re in a good routine with your inhaler. Try using it when you brush your teeth morning and night, so you don’t forget. A good routine would be: brush teeth, take inhaler, rinse out.
Repeat Prescriptions
Ensure you order your repeat prescriptions on time and don’t run out of essential inhalers. The practice has a 48 hour turnaround time for prescriptions.
Local pharmacists can also give advice and help you get the best from your asthma medicines
Many pharmacies will recycle your old inhalers.
Quit Smoking To Lower Your Asthma Risk
You can book in with our healthcare assistant for support with smoking cessation.
What To Expect From The Caversham
Asthma Reviews
These are minimum once a year or at your request if you have concerns about your condition or you have had an exacerbation.
Please ask for an asthma action plan at your review.
What To Do If Your Asthma Is Getting Worse.
The following are early warning signs that your asthma is worse and you are at risk of an asthma attack:
- You need to use your reliever inhaler (usually blue) three times a week or more because of your asthma symptoms;
- Your symptoms are coming back- tightness in your chest, feeling breathless, coughing and or wheezing;
- You’re waking up at night because of your asthma;
- Your symptoms are getting in the way of your day to day life- like work, family life or exercise.
Either contact the practice to see our asthma nurse, our pharmacist or one of the doctors or if you have an asthma action plan you may need to step up your treatment as previously discussed when your plan was made.
Repeat Prescriptions
Order your regular prescriptions remembering to allow at least 48 hours prior to needing the new prescriptions to allow time for prescriptions to be prepared.
If you have good asthma control, you should ideally not need more than two reliever (blue) inhalers a year, using more than this is likely to suggest you need better background preventer medication.
You can use the this link which gives an idea of how much reliever medication you may be using over a week/ month or year.
Book an appointment if you are using your reliever more than 3 times a week for whatever reason.
Smoking Cessation Support
You can book in with our health care assistant, Jibril, for advice and support around stopping smoking.
You may also want to look at the this NHS information.
Yearly Flu Vaccination
Make sure you have your yearly flu vaccination. This starts every year in late September/early October.
For further information:
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