I can’t say I am surprised by the outcome of the research as one of my battles when Ella was at her worst was fighting to get mental health support. Based on the criteria who should get support she was very low on the list but working in the world of psychology since 1993 as part of my Paychology degree I knew first hand she was going to need support and I was not going to take no for an answer. She was seen by a psychology team in hospital who discharged her and to my horror had concluded she was fine. The decision was gut wrenching as I could see the absolute fear in Ella’s eyes when her unpredictable coughing fits started and she seemed like she was choking. Undeterred that she had been discharged I returned to my borough and literally begged for someone from the mental health team to see her. I thought I better be upfront and explain that based on the normal criteria she wouldn’t meet the threshold but she had rare and very severe asthma and I was desperate for support for her. In the end she had a brilliant Psychologist who I am grateful for to this day. I have got Ella’s CAMHS notes and maybe one day I will put it in a book so I can share what she thought of her asthma. I have not read the notes yet of her sessions. When the pathologist said at her inquest “Ella had one of the worst cases of asthma ever recorded in the U.K.” I wept but knowing I hade made the right decision to seek mental health treatment, Ella must have been terrified. Hence with the ever increasing numbers of children under 19 in London developing asthma currently it is between 10-15% of the population some 205,000 and with the strong link between asthma and air pollution I realise how badly we are letting young people down. The experts have warned us the NHS this winter is going to be as bad as last year so not only will Paediatricians be battling to save young people’s lives but they will be trying to get them support from a mental health system that has already reached crisis point. There is one solution to the constant long list of health conditions that young people are experiencing that we read new research into what must seem a daily basis at the moment ; CLEAN UP THE FILTHY AIR!!!!