Our objective is to create a sustainable framework and set of resources which empower and enable stakeholders to use NRAP data to facilitate improvements in the quality of asthma and COPD care.
Our strategy
Our Healthcare Improvement strategy (2026-2028) outlines a framework for how NRAP will work to support healthcare improvement within respiratory settings.
The themes of our goals, developed with support of a task and finish group in 2023, are in the following areas:
- Treating tobacco dependency
- Early and accurate diagnosis
- Supporting self-management
- Inhaler technique checks
- Access to pulmonary rehabilitation.
We will be supporting services in England and Wales to take steps to achieve these goals by May 2028.
Our approach
Healthcare improvement education programme
NRAP’s healthcare improvement programme for 2026-27 is now live!
The 18-month programme for respiratory teams in England and Wales starts in July 2026, and provides online learning alongside virtual workshops and support from a dedicated coach. All applicants receive training in improvement, using NRAP data and managing change, and coaches receive additional training in supporting others.
Hear insights from our healthcare improvement clinical fellow about last year’s HI programme here.
Respiratory improvement and implementation workshop
Monday 14 September - Solihull.
A hands-on session for clinicians and improvement leads.
For more information on the workshop click here.
Healthcare improvement support
Generic and workstream specific HI support is available for everyone. These include:
- Recommendations for improvement priorities
- Slidesets highlighting key findings from clinical audit reports, to inform and support clinical teams to make improvements. You will find these alongside the relevant reports.
- Templates for driver diagrams, PDSA cycles and SMART aims.
Examples of good practice
See our good practice repositories for ideas on how to drive improvements in your service or contact NRAPinbox@rcp.ac.uk if you have an example that you would like to share with others:
NRAP healthcare improvement programme 2024-25: case studies
Pulmonary rehabilitation:
- Bedford Hospital - Improving timeliness of AECOPD care
- Frimley Health Community Respiratory Service -Targeting inequalities in Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- George Eliot Hospital - Increasing practice walk tests completed, leading to improvement in KPI3: Completion of discharge assessment
- Glenfield Hospital - Improving timeliness of AECOPD care
- North Bristol LEEP - Improving timeliness of AECOPD care
- Nottingham Integrated Respiratory Service - Reducing DNA rate to Nurse clinic
- RESTART - Northampton General Hospital - Improvement in KPI3: Completion of discharge assessment
- ROCKET Team - Kettering General Hospital - Improvement in KPI2: Completion of two walking tests during the initial assessment.
COPD:
- Royal Albert Edward Infirmary - Improving oxygen prescription
Children and Young Peoples Asthma:
- Tameside Hospital - Improving KPI2 and KPI3: tobacco smoking addressed (patients and parents)
Additional Resources
Short video tutorials to help you access and understand your data: