NORTHOLT High School is the first in the borough to be recognised for its potentially life-saving work in keeping asthma sufferers safe.
The school in Eastcote Lane was given Asthma Friendly status by NHS Ealing and the charity Asthma UK. It is part of a borough-wide campaign set up the two groups in September last year after it was discovered that Ealing has the highest hospital admissions for the condition in London.
It has done so well that some of its students have been chosen to visit the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday (November 30) to help form government policy on the disease from a young person's perspective.
Lynne Flynn, welfare and medical officer at the school, said: “The anxiety caused by the prospect of having an asthma attack can make the condition worse, but children say they feel safe here. Parents of one of the children said it was the first time they'd seen him come home smiling which is the best compliment we could've asked for.”
Working with NHS Ealing, Northolt High School has trained staff in recognising the symptoms of an attack and how to immediately respond, put up posters in every classroom with this information in clear bullet points and created a register of asthmatic pupils.
Staff also ensure they inform parents of any asthmatic incidents and are told of those happening in the home, make sure pupils carry their inhalers and keep back-up inhalers for each of them.
The borough-wide campaign was born after Deborah Waddell, a general practice nurse, began noticing more and more asthmatic children attending the surgery she worked at and realised more needed to be done.
Funding was secured from Asthma UK and she became a specialised asthma nurse, helping asthma sufferers across the borough and raising awareness, including in schools.
Three primary schools also have Asthma Friendly status but Northolt High School, with it's 1,500 pupils, is the first time such a large school has achieved it. About ten per cent of its students are asthmatic.
Ms Flynn added: “We just thought it was so important, both to make sure we do everything we can to safeguard children, and to raise awareness and remove the stigma. Now pupils look out for each other more and asthmatic students realise it should not hold them back.”
Asthma facts - see page 2
ASTHMA is a disease which causes a narrowing of the air passages. It usually begins in childhood and there can be a number of triggers.
As well as the more recognisable coughing and wheezing, symptoms can include difficulty breathing and being unusually quiet.
Those suffering an attack should not be laid down but be sat up and leant slightly forward. They should be helped to take two puffs of their blue inhaler and an ambulance should be called if their situation does not improve.
