Waltham Forest - Children's Community Asthma Nurse
Zara Rippington is the Children’s Community Asthma Nurse for Waltham Forest. She is based at Wood Street Health Centre and works within the Community Nursing Team.
She works closely with Paediatric Consultants at Whipps Cross Hospital who have an interest in asthma and wheeze and has her own caseload of patients, who are referred to her via local A&E departments, local children's wards, school nurses and GPs.
Her role is to provide support, education and advice for CYP with asthma/VIW and their families within Waltham Forest, providing PAAP’s and supporting patients with inhaler, spacer and peak flow technique.
She also supports families as well as other medical professionals with starting, escalating and de-escalating treatment. And she support families with new diagnoses of asthma/VIW and provide regular asthma reviews.
Zara is is available to provide training and teaching sessions for schools, hospitals etc.
Please refer to Zara any child aged 1-16 who has had:
- 2 or more A&E attendances within the last year
- 2 or more ward admissions within the last year
- 2 or more courses of oral steroids within the last year
- IV therapy/PICU/HDU admission
Zara accepts referrals for any CYP who you feel may require further support or education in order to better manage their asthma, where there are safeguarding concerns, poor concordance with treatment or if they are on step three of the BTS stepwise approach.
Please send the attached form to wfccn@nelft.nhs.uk.