Key Summary
- Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed visited St Mary’s Hospital to meet staff and patients at the Imperial Clinical Respiratory Research Unit.
- The visit officially launched the Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP), a national programme designed to overhaul care for asthma and COPD patients.
- The Imperial team demonstrated how hospital specialists work alongside primary care and researchers to deliver faster diagnostics and biologic therapies.
Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed MP visited St Mary’s Hospital last week as part of a national event to launch the Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP).
The visit focused on the Imperial Clinical Respiratory Research Unit (ICRRU), where the Minister met with frontline clinicians and researchers dedicated to transforming care for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Hosted by Professor Bob Klaber and Dr Sarah Elkin, the Minister toured the facility to see how the integrated respiratory team at Imperial College Healthcare collaborates with primary care and patients. A key highlight was a demonstration of a bronchial provocation test, a vital component of the asthma diagnostic pathway that ensures patients receive an accurate diagnosis as they move from community settings into hospital care.
The ICRRU team also provided an overview of the latest biologic therapies for severe asthma and emerging treatments for advanced COPD. In a live demonstration, the Minister was introduced to a patient using remote monitoring technology, illustrating how the NHS is now supporting respiratory patients in the comfort of their own homes to prevent hospital admissions.
Respiratory disease is a major cause of morbidity and death in the UK and worldwide. Asthma affects one in seven children in the UK.
COPD is the fourth most common cause of death worldwide, while lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK.
Influenza causes worldwide pandemics and the next epidemic could take place at any time, while rhinovirus (common cold virus) is the main cause of asthma attacks and COPD.
The research unit is supported by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), a translational research partnership between Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London.
