An updated search (which practices need to download) is expected to more accurately identify high-risk CYP asthma patients reducing the number found by about 30% across NCL. 

It has been noted that more children than expected have been identified as high risk in preset children and young people (CYP) asthma searches under the long-term conditions locally commissioned service (LTC LCS). This appears to be coming from an AccuRx Florey that is coding number of exacerbations based on patient entry when this is not matching what clinicians may consider to be an exacerbation. 

The search will no longer look for numbers of exacerbations code but will count courses of prednisolone, acute exacerbation codes, high use of Short-Acting Beta-2 Agonists (SABA) inhalers, coded A&E asthma attendances and patients with no Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) inhaler prescribed. 

Actions for practices

• Ensure that you code any acute exacerbations of asthma using the acute exacerbation of asthma code. 
• Check for and download the new searches, which will have a November date, and rerun your CYP asthma searches.

A step-by-step guide to getting new searches into your system can be found below.

This information is also available in the LTC LCS newsletter.