Digital therapeutics toolkit improves respiratory outcomes in Wales

A respiratory digital therapeutics toolkit is improving outcomes and reducing health inequalities for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Wales.

The toolkit, which was rolled out in July 2020 and has since reached full adoption across 100% of GP practices and hospitals in NHS Wales, is providing a personalised, digital care plan that empowers hundreds of thousands of people to take control of their condition and stay well in the community.

It consists of a policy-to-patient programme that supports patients, practitioners, and commissioners. The toolkits include apps, events, guidelines, educational platforms, and data analysis, all designed to drive better health outcomes.

Professor Simon Barry, national respiratory clinical lead at NHS Wales (2016-2024), said the toolkit is having an impact at a national scale, with “patients showing a significant improvement in wellness scores in as little as three months”.

“The biggest improvement is among patients using the asthma app for four months or more who are seeing their wellness score increase by 41%.

“Users in socioeconomically deprived areas, and young people are seeing the greatest improvements in their Royal College of Physicians 3-questions score,” he added.

The toolkit has also driven significant reductions in the use of reliever inhalers, an important marker of disease control.

Asthma app users have a statistically improvement in their reliever inhaler usage, with 35% having reporting improved use within one year, and 20% of patients going from some reliever use to no reliever use.

COPD app users’ reliever use improved after one year, with the percentage of users making use of relievers decreasing from 67% to 38%.

The rollout of the toolkit has enabled many more outcome improvements, including reductions in GP visits and A&E admissions to alleviate pressure on overstretched services.

Chris Davies, principal and chief executive at The Institute of Clinical Science and Technology, said: “We are delighted to work alongside NHS Wales in transitioning from traditional healthcare delivery to a patient-driven, digital-first model that eases the pressure on the healthcare system and future-proofs the NHS.

“This approach enables individuals across large populations to have better agency, better empowerment and more confidence when they navigate their health.”

Co-produced with patients, policymakers and clinical experts from within stakeholder groups, including the National Respiratory Audit Programme, Asthma and Lung UK, NHS Wales and NHS England, the toolkit uses the proven COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour) model to drive behaviour change.

It is expanding to other disease groups, offering a scalable model to meet rising care demand without overburdening healthcare professionals.

Meanwhile in February 2025, the University of Manchester spinout CareLoop closed a £1.8 million seed funding round to support the growth of its digital therapeutics platform which provides support to patients living with severe mental health conditions.

Members of the Respiratory Health Improvement Group (RHIG) in Wales will outline how the successful outcomes were achieved across Wales during a webinar on 13 March 2025, chaired by Dr Lia Ali, clinical advisor, NHS Transformation Directorate for NHS England.