Asthma
Contact
- Outpatients appointments
- 020 3313 5000
- Advice for GPs
- 020 3312 7942
St Mary's Hospital
- Advice for GPs
- 020 3311 1906
Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals
- General Enquiries
- 020 3312 7942
St Mary's Hospital
020 3311 1906Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals
Visitor Information
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Asthma is a long-term condition that affects the airways, which are the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs.
About 5.4 million people receive treatment for asthma in the UK. There are different types of asthma and many conditions can also ‘mimic’ asthma.
We offer a comprehensive range of diagnostic tests and therapies to facilitate the accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of asthma and its related conditions. We work closely with other specialties including ear, nose and throat (ENT), speech and language therapy (SLT) and physiotherapy.
We offer weekly consultant and nurse specialist clinics at St Mary’s, Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals.
We also offer consultant and nurse specialist clinics in the community for patients who are registered with a GP in the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham.
Conditions and treatments
Conditions we see include:
- suspected adult onset asthma
- severe asthma
- difficult-to-treat asthma
- breathing pattern disorder
- vocal cord dysfunction/airway malacia
We carry out a number of diagnostic tests including:
- peak expiratory flow
- lung function tests
- histamine provocation test
- hyperventilation study
- chest x-ray
- CT scan
- echocardiogram
- blood tests
- skin prick tests (allergy testing)
Treatments we offer are:
- patient education on asthma
- inhaler reviews
- physiotherapy
- pulmonary rehabilitation
- speech therapy (provided by ENT and SLT teams)
- established links with our local tertiary care centres for patients with severe asthma eligible for biologic therapy
Clinics
Asthma clinic at St Mary’s Hospital
Address
Chest and allergy outpatients
Ground floor
Mint Wing
St Mary’s Hospital
Praed Street
London W2 1NY
Hours
Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings
Contact
Phone: 020 3312 7942
Asthma clinic at Charing Cross Hospital
Address
Respiratory clinic
Fifth floor
North wing
Tower block
Charing Cross Hospital
Fulham Palace Road
W6 8RF
Hours
Monday afternoons
Contact
Phone: 020 3311 1906 or 020 3311 1909
Asthma clinic at Hammersmith Hospital
Address
General outpatient department
B desk
Hammersmith Hospital
Du Cane Road
London
W12 0HS
Hours
Wednesday afternoons
Contact
Phone: 020 3311 1906 or 020 3311 1909
Community clinics
For information about the asthma community clinics please visit the community cardiology and respiratory service page.
Meet the team
Consultants
Dr Ernie Wong, lead
Dr Joanna Brown
Lead nurse for asthma
Carina Rodrigues
Nurse specialists
Mawuli Foli Awli
Jocelyn Fraser
Rose Kirori
Charlotte O’Riordan
Aleta Villagracia
Shauna McKibben
Patient information
- You should receive a clinic appointment within eight weeks of receipt of your referral. You are welcome to bring a relative, close friend or carer with you to your appointment or you can ask for a chaperone.
- We suggest that you wear comfortable clothing on your upper half that is easy to remove, as it is likely that you will have a clinical examination during your appointment.
There is no need to fast. If you are having lung function test, please refer to the patient information leaflet regarding whether you need to withhold your inhalers prior to your appointment. - It is very important to bring all your medications including inhalers to your appointment as we will assess how you use your inhalers. You may also wish to bring a list of questions you wish to ask during the appointment
- Upon arrival please visit the main reception.
- We will make every effort to ensure you are seen on time but sometimes a delay is unavoidable (up to 45 minutes). Our team will ensure you are kept up to date about any delays.
- Appointments usually last between 15 (follow up) and 30 (new) minutes.
- You will see a specialist respiratory doctor or a nurse specialist at your appointment. He/ she will discuss the results of any tests you may have had as well as their findings and recommendations. You may be referred for further tests. The consultant or nurse specialist will discuss next steps with you.
- Please check with the reception team whether you are due to lung function test prior to your consultation. Please refer to the Lung function test patient information leaflet section for further information.
- Please note we are a teaching hospital and there may be medical students. Please inform your doctor/ nurse specialist if you do not wish to have clinical observers during your consultation.
- At the end of your consultation, the doctor or nurse specialist will usually let you know if you require a follow up appointment. A letter is usually sent to your GP which summarises your consultation and plan of care. You will receive a copy of this letter. You can expect to hear about most results at your follow-up appointment but sometimes the clinician will arrange to let you know by telephone.
Patient information leaflets
Refer to this service
GP referrals
Please use NHS e-Referrals to refer a patient to our asthma service at Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary's hospitals.
To refer a patient to one of the community clinics, please visit the community cardiology and respiratory service referral page for more information.
Secondary care referrals
Please use NHS e-Referrals to refer a patient to the asthma service.
Additional information
Research
We have close links with the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London.
You may be asked whether you are willing to participate in a study. If you do not want to participate it will not in any way affect your care.