Your asthma treatment plan

It should be written for the individual, easy to access, and reviewed when symptoms, medicines, devices, or health circumstances change. Family members, carers, school staff, or colleagues may also need to know where it is kept.

The plan separates routine control from flare-up care. It identifies each controller and reliever by name or device, explains when and how to take it, and sets out symptom changes or breathing measurements that trigger the next action.

Useful plans also list personal triggers, inhaler and spacer instructions, relevant allergies, clinician contacts, and emergency signs. Instructions need updating if the prescriber changes a dose or device; handwritten additions can create confusion unless confirmed by the care team.

Keep medicines available, check remaining doses and expiry information, and take controller treatment as prescribed even when breathing feels normal. Practise inhaler technique during appointments and clean equipment according to its instructions.

Track night waking, cough, wheeze, chest tightness, activity limits, and reliever use. Compare changes with the thresholds written in the plan. Take a current copy when travelling and ensure that anyone supporting a child or dependent adult understands their role.

Follow the plan promptly when symptoms increase; waiting for marked breathlessness can delay effective care. Call emergency services if the person struggles to speak, becomes blue or grey around the lips, seems confused or exhausted, collapses, or does not improve after the directed reliever steps.

Contact the usual clinician soon after a significant flare, urgent visit, or new pattern of night symptoms. The review can identify triggers, confirm technique, reconcile medicines, and adjust the written instructions.

Ask what good control should look like for you, which changes require extra treatment, how long to follow each flare-up instruction, and whom to contact outside clinic hours. Confirm what to do if the inhaler is empty, unavailable, or difficult to operate.