Detailed Programme Information

The Rapid Uptake Products (RUP) programme identifies and supports products with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approval that support the NHS Long Term Plan’s key clinical priorities but have lower than expected uptake to date.  

The AHSN Network is a key member of the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), the umbrella organisation for UK health innovation, the front door to support for innovators and sets the strategy for a more effective innovation ecosystem.  

Current projects in the programme for 2021/22 include:

Lipid management – High Intensity Statins, Ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors 

The RUP for lipid management is a novel, NICE-endorsed clinical pathway. This innovation aims to improve a person’s lipid profile, by reducing cholesterol concentration in blood by treating patients with the right medicine along the evidence-based pathway. The pathway includes a number of medicines. 

Asthma diagnosis – Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration in asthma 

FeNO (fractional exhaled nitric oxide) is a point of care test to measure type two inflammation in airways, which augments and supports the accuracy of asthma diagnosis. The aim of this innovation will be to improve patient care and outcomes by more effective diagnosis of patients suspected of having asthma. 

We are hosting five regional collaborative forums to support the implementation of FeNO testing in South West England. Each forum is an opportunity to hear from South West respiratory leads and clinical champions about their experience and recommendations for implementing FeNO.

In 2021/22, support from the South West AHSN contributed to:

• 41 machines purchased.
• 32 machines distributed across the South West.
• Uptake trajectory exceeded by 680% for machines, and 538% for mouthpieces.
• Ongoing collaborative forums with over 50 people in attendance.  

Asthma treatment – Biological therapies to reduce side-effects 

Biological therapies can transform patient lives by reducing long-term side effects of other treatments (e.g. oral corticosteroids (OCS)) and can also reduce the number of exacerbations and life-threatening asthma attacks. The aim of this innovation will be to improve patient care and outcomes by providing a better treatment option for patients with severe asthma. 

Funding is available to the entire South West of England, from Cornwall to Swindon. The South West Severe Asthma Network will work with all hospitals to create a common pathway for managing asthma care streamlining the process of referral to severe asthma centres and access to asthma biologic therapy.

In 2021/2022, the Asthma Biologics project achieved:

• Benefits to 650 patients. This equates to an increase of 506 patients compared to the previous year (2020).
• Continued development and access to a weekly specialist Asthma MDT meeting in all South West Asthma Network hospitals.
• Ongoing education and training to clinicians in primary and secondary care to raise awareness of Asthma Biologics and to facilitate the early identification and referral
  of patients with severe allergic or eosinophilic asthma to the asthma MDT.
• Development of a video to highlight benefits to asthma patient

For more information, please contact the South West AHSN’s RUP lead and Programme Manager, Steve Johnson-Wood.