How this senior practice nurse is leading greener asthma care efforts

We caught up with the Nursing Award shortlist ahead of this year’s General Practice Awards ceremony, taking place on 5 December at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith.

Lucinda Longwill, senior practice nurse at The Aberfeldy Practice in Tower Hamlets, East London, has led an ambitious overhaul of asthma care, transforming clinical outcomes and significantly reducing the environmental impact of inhaler prescribing.

‘In the last 12 months – and really over the past few years – general practice nursing has faced some challenging times,’ Ms Longwill reflects. ‘But thanks to the support of my mentors and teams, we’ve had opportunities to improve care, especially for our housebound patients and those living with asthma.’

With the help of Ms Longwill’s leadership, the practice has cut its prescribing of metered dose inhalers from 70% to just over 40%, in line with guidance to lower the NHS carbon footprint.

This work has been underpinned by a switch to MART (maintenance and reliever therapy) and dry powder inhalers, as well as intensive patient reviews and structured education for other prescribers.

The result is a marked improvement in asthma prescribing quality, a sharp reduction in SABA (short-acting beta agonist) overuse, and progress towards safer, guideline-led treatment. These achievements contributed to the practice being awarded a Gold rating under the Royal College of General Practitioners Green Impact for Health toolkit.

Ms Longwill has also shared learning across local networks and supported fellow nurses through the Practice Nurse Forum. She continues to lead long-term conditions work within her primary care network and helped develop a ‘home health’ team delivering quality care to housebound patients – all while guiding her practice through a major premises move.

‘I think my proudest achievement is being able to have an impact across a few different areas – greener asthma care, support for housebound patients, and coaching and teaching colleagues,’ she says. ‘Keeping variety in the role helps you stay connected to what matters and what’s possible.’

Reflecting on her nomination, she adds: ‘Even being shortlisted was a surprise – but it’s not just for me. It’s an acknowledgement of everyone I’ve ever worked with, including my patients. None of this is achieved by one person alone.’

Read more about the General Practice Awards 2025. This is one of seven nurses or nursing teams shortlisted at the General Practice Awards 2025. The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony on Friday 5 December at the Novotel London West. If you’d like to be there on the night you can find out more here and book tickets here.