Offering indoor home sensors to families of children with high-risk respiratory conditions: a feasibility study to connect NHS and housing pathways
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Authors
Sana Ali
Oluwadolapo Adegboye
Jessica Sheringham
Contact
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Issue Date
06-May-26
Type
Conference Abstract
Language
Keywords
Housing , Implementation/scale up
Alternative Title
Abstract
Background
Poor housing conditions, e.g. damp and mould, increase childhood respiratory symptoms by 30–50%. Many social housing providers are exploring installation of indoor home sensors – devices that can provide real-time data on home humidity, temperature and air quality – in homes to expedite identification and response to damp and mould problems. Uptake by residents, however, is variable in part due to concerns about privacy and uncertainties about benefits. Offering sensors through NHS pathways has been identified as one strategy to increase the acceptability to residents because of its potential to reach vulnerable households such as those including children with high-risk respiratory conditions.
Objectives
To assess the feasibility and acceptability of an NHS offer of home sensors to the families of high-risk children with asthma.
Stage at Submission
Work in progress: Process mapping of new pathway/scheme
Methods
A multi-agency stakeholder workshop across North Central and West London was convened to gather input from relevant professionals, understand current care pathways for high-risk children with respiratory conditions, map the process for offering sensors and develop supporting data flows. Stakeholders comprised healthcare professionals working with children with respiratory problems in primary and secondary care, local authority environmental/pollution officers, housing managers, public health professionals, researchers and data scientists across councils and NHS Authorities, and staff from North Central and West London ICB.
Learning so far / Discussion points
Across multiple stakeholders, the importance of childhood respiratory health was widely recognised as a priority. Each borough has a Paediatric Primary Care Service which receives referrals from for high-risk children with respiratory problems. The service provides a single point of contact and offers consultation times long enough to discuss the effects of damp and mould and air quality on health. A pilot within Islington local authority will be piloted initially, with sensors offered in the Paediatric Primary Care Service. Evaluation will first seek to establish acceptability and feasibility, its potential for scale up across both the ICB and wider geographies, and to provide the basis for a summative evaluation of its impact on health outcomes.