Respiratory Illness
The iHV received funding from the NHS VCSE Health and Wellbeing fund to collate and develop a range of resources to support health visitors to raise parental awareness of respiratory illness in children and babies under three years old.
This page includes a range of these materials and resources to support and inform health visitors in their work when supporting families to access evidence-based information about respiratory illnesses.
Webinars
In this section, you will find a series of webinars which were produced as part of the project. Each one provides information and guidance on different aspects of respiratory illness. Contributions are included from speakers from other organisations who also received funding from the #HWFund.
- Webinar 1 – Focuses on the background of Bronchiolitis and the surge. HEE also introduces a range of e-learning and digital learning resources to support practice.
- Webinar 2 – Discusses the signs and symptoms of Bronchiolitis and when to advise families to seek help. There are also presentations from Bliss (with a focus on supporting preterm and sick babies including a family-facing animation) and Barnardo’s (informing us about their Boloh helpline for families for whom English is not their first language).
- Webinar 3 – Croup is the respiratory illness discussed in this webinar. Contact shares their resources and services which are available for families with additional needs. And OHID discusses the role of the Public Health Nurses and Leadership.
- Webinar 4 – The final webinar in the series features a presentation from Asthma UK & British Lung Foundation sharing the resources they have developed for families facing RSV. The EPNS4Surge e-learning is introduced which aims to increase knowledge, skills, and practical confidence in supporting children and young people with specific respiratory problems. And the iHV shares background to the project and how the resources were developed.
Respiratory Illness Webinar One | Recording

Respiratory Illness Webinar One | PDF
Respiratory Illness Webinar Two | Recording

Respiratory Illness Webinar Two | PDF
Respiratory Illness Webinar Three | Recording

Respiratory Illness Webinar Three | PDF
Respiratory Illness Webinar Four | Recording

Respiratory Illness Webinar Four | PDF

FAQs from the Respiratory Illness Webinars

Download your Record of Attendance
Resources to support practitioners
Resources to support practitioners in Respiratory Illnesses when working with families
This document contains specific resources or sections of resources have been recognised as being useful to parents/carers and practitioners. Inclusion doesn’t signify endorsement by the iHV but aims to highlight specific resources which may be of benefit to some families and/or professionals.

Resources to support practitioners in Respiratory Illnesses when working with families
Parent Tips
PT | Wheeze and breathing difficulties
PT | Fever/high temperature
E-Learning
elfh | Respiratory Surge in Children
This course has been developed by elearning for healthcare (elfh). The Respiratory Surge in Children resources are aimed at healthcare staff working in the various settings where a child will present with respiratory illness.
The resources have been divided across 7 domain folders and, in most instances, have been further categorised according to the care level that they relate to – the first is Primary and community care out of hospital, and the second is ward-based/Level 1 care: Basic critical care.
To support different learner needs, the resources are available in a variety of formats including written, video, and audio. They also vary in length from a few minutes to 2 hours, depending on how much time you have or how much detail you would like to go into.
To access the e-learning resources please click the link below.
elfh | The Enhanced Paediatric Nursing Skills for Surge (EPNS4Surge) Course
EPNS4Surge is an integrated learning programme consisting of e-learning modules, clinical teaching videos, and condition-specific supplementary documents. It has been specifically designed to equip nursing staff with knowledge, skills and practical confidence to deliver enhanced care for children and young people with common respiratory problems and facilitate escalation or de-escalation of care, including early discharge. The focus is on acute paediatric nursing as well as hospital-at-home community care, with some transferrable learning for health visitors to increase confidence and understanding of the care needed and family/child experiences on initial presentation of ill children as well as on discharge/handover when children are better.
Although EPNS4Surge is not specific for health visiting the course provides good insight and understanding of hospital care and discharge to support strength-based conversations with families.
Click here to watch the short 3-and-a-half-minute introductory YouTube film about the course
Dr Ranj Film - When to Worry about Bronchiolitis and RSV
Dr Ranj, a paediatric doctor, explains what symptoms to look out for and where to get help when your child may have Bronchiolitis and RSV – with symptoms listed in Red, Amber and Green categories.

When to Worry - Bronchiolitis and RSV - Easy Read
Translated When to Worry - Bronchiolitis and RSV
Easy Read in other languages
Dr Ranj Film: When to Worry – Croup
Dr Ranj, a paediatric doctor, explains what symptoms to look out for and where to get help when your child may have Croup – with symptoms listed in Red, Amber and Green categories.

When to Worry – Croup - Easy Read
Translated When to Worry – Croup
Easy Read in other languages
Dr Ranj Film: When to Worry - Difficulty breathing and wheeze
Dr Ranj, a paediatric doctor, explains what symptoms to look out for and where to get help when your child may have Difficulty Breathing or Wheeze – with symptoms listed in Red, Amber and Green categories.

When to Worry - Difficulty breathing and wheeze - Easy Read
Translated When to Worry - Difficulty breathing and wheeze
Easy Read in other languages
Dr Ranj Film: When to Worry – Fever
Dr Ranj, a paediatric doctor, explains what symptoms to look out for and where to get help when your child may have fever – with symptoms listed in Red, Amber and Green categories.

When to Worry – Fever - Easy Read
Translated When to Worry – Fever
Easy Read in other languages
When to Worry - My baby is finding it hard to breathe under 3-months

When to Worry - My baby is finding it hard to breathe under 3-months - Easy Read
Easy Read in other languages
Healthier Together Website
Healthier Together is a website which has been developed in partnership with parents and healthcare professionals from across Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and the Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health (RCPCH).
It offers information and advice on a variety of health topics for babies, children, young people and healthcare professionals. It uses a Red, Amber, Green (RAG) rating of when to seek medical advice and information from different health care professionals including health visitors.
Below you will find links to different sections of their website which you may find helpful for families.
Home Page
Bronchiolitis and RSV
Fever / High Temperature
Bliss Website
Bliss is a national charity which champions the right for every baby born premature or sick to receive the best care, by supporting families, campaigning for change, supporting professionals, and enabling life-changing research.
This is Bliss’ main webpage about respiratory conditions for preterm and sick babies. It contains links to specific topics including: bronchiolitis, chronic lung disease and respiratory distress syndrome.
Bliss has several different parent-facing resources; below is the link to their bronchiolitis resources, which includes an animation specifically for the families of preterm babies and bronchiolitis.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Bliss and Black Mums Upfront raise awareness of RSV
Bliss has partnered with Black Mums Upfront to raise awareness of RSV, and show the symptoms on black and brown babies so that parents can get the help they need.
Watch Bliss and Black Mums Upfront video on the link below.
Barnardo’s Helpline Website
The Boloh helpline is part of the Barnardo’s charity and is available to all in the UK – they specifically work with minoritised ethnic groups and have advisors who speak several different languages.
The aim of the helpline is to support people in a number of ways, including support and advice for asylum seekers. However, there is also a specific health advice line for parental advice on minor illness and when to seek medical advice.
Please access the link to learn more about the helpline and how families access it.
Boloh
Asthma + Lung UK
British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK merged in January 2020, to become Asthma + Lung UK, to support everyone in the UK affected by asthma and other lung diseases and become a voice for all respiratory diseases for change and investment in the NHS.
They have developed specific resources about Bronchiolitis and RSV, which can be accessed via the link below. The resources include videos which will be translated into other languages during 2022.
Contact
Contact is a national charity for families with disabled children, whatever their condition and whether diagnosed or not.
For their work with the #HWFund, they have extended the organisation’s reach through the empowerment of parents and carers to increase awareness of RSV and bronchiolitis for families with children who have complex needs, rare conditions and other disabilities.
They have a variety of resources available including:
- A 3-and-a-half-minute animation called Protecting your child from RSV and other winter viruses
- A recording of their Facebook Live Q&A with consultant respiratory paediatricain Dr Martin Samuels (GOSH and Staffordshire Children’s Hospital)
- A FAQ section dedicated to RSV frequently asked questions
- They also provide support for families with Baby and toddler groups and the Contact’s helpline for families of disabled children