Up, Up and Away Podcast

Conversations about digital health, lived experience, and long-term conditions.

Hosted by Dom Burch and Saira Arif

2026

S1 E209 Feb 202633 min

Terri Quigley: Lived experience, severe asthma, and why digital tools can save lives

Terri Quigley, an NHS project manager and parent of a child with severe asthma, discusses how the Digital Health Passport has transformed her son Ethan's confidence and independence in managing his condition, while also advocating for meaningful patient participation in healthcare decision-making and highlighting that most asthma deaths are preventable with better tools and support.

S1 E1924 Jan 202628 min

From the Clinic to the System: Asthma & Lung UK's Naomi Watt on Designing for Engagement

Naomi Watt from Asthma + Lung UK discusses how her journey from respiratory nurse to digital health designer shaped the Health Professionals Hub — a portal built around self-determination theory and psychological safety to help clinicians feel capable and supported, rather than overwhelmed with information. The conversation explores why motivation and empathy matter more than technology alone, and makes the case for charities, the NHS and tech partners collaborating to reach people in the moments that matter.

S1 E1814 Jan 202627 min

Tackling Inequalities in Children’s Asthma — Learning from Brent Health Matters

Bethan Almeida discusses how Brent Health Matters tackles childhood asthma inequalities in one of the UK's most diverse boroughs by shifting from reactive clinical care to community-led prevention — training local volunteers as Asthma Community Coaches, co-designing accessible resources with families, and partnering with trusted community figures rather than relying solely on clinicians. A central theme is "compassionate discrimination," where well-meaning professionals inadvertently deepen inequality by withholding advice they assume disadvantaged families can't act on, and how providing equal information with targeted support produces better outcomes.

2025

S1 E1716 Dec 202533 min

Why NHS login Changes Everything for Digital Self-Management - With Matt Bourne TMA's CTO

Matt Bourne, CTO of Tiny Medical Apps, discusses the company's journey to integrating NHS login into their Digital Health Passport, enabling young people with long-term conditions like asthma and epilepsy to securely access care plans and medication management. The episode covers the technical and organisational challenges of working within the NHS ecosystem, and how behaviour change theory and charity partnerships help improve medication adherence and health outcomes for often hard-to-reach young patients.

S1 E169 Dec 202533 min

Theta Sleep - Tackling Sleep Apnoea with Digital, End-to-End Care

Dom Burch speaks with Dr Tom Chambers and Dr David Dawson about obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition affecting over 9 million undiagnosed UK adults that dramatically increases risks of heart disease, stroke and dementia. They discuss how their digital-first venture Theta Sleep is tackling overwhelmed NHS pathways by delivering home-based diagnosis and treatment, cutting waiting times from over a year to just three weeks.

S1 E151 Aug 202526 min

Game Changer: How a London-based PE Teacher Wants Every Student with Asthma to be Seen

Hamdoun, a 19-year-old assistant PE teacher and new Digital Health Passport ambassador, discusses how he supports primary school children with asthma by normalising open conversations, proactively checking inhalers and medication expiry dates, and empowering young people to speak up about their condition. He shares practical stories from the classroom and pitch, advocating for better school preparedness and the use of technology to help children with long-term conditions stay active and confident.

S1 E1412 Jun 202534 min

Mum on a Mission: Agnes Agyepong on Clean Air, Maternal Health & Mental Resilience

Agnes Agyepong, maternal health advocate and founder of Black Child, Clean Air, discusses how air pollution disproportionately affects children's health in Black and working-class communities, sharing how her daughter's near-fatal experience sparked a nationwide campaign for environmental and maternal health justice. She also opens up about her journey through maternal mental health struggles and the creation of the Glow Mama Awards to celebrate motherhood.

S1 E1324 Mar 202527 min

Breathe Easy, Play Hard: Empowering Young Athletes with Asthma to Thrive in Sport

The *Up Up and Away* podcast launches the *Breathe Easy, Play Hard* campaign to empower young athletes with asthma, inspired by the passing of strength coach Brendt Barrett, encouraging coaches, schools, and parents to normalise asthma in sports and introduce tools like the Digital Health Passport to help young people manage their condition. The episode highlights the role of coaches in creating inclusive environments and calls for collaboration across schools and sports clubs—particularly in South East London—to reduce stigma and ensure no child is sidelined by asthma.

S1 E1217 Mar 202532 min

No More Hiding: How Inhaler Tailor is Helping People Embrace Their Asthma One Case At a Time

Inhaler Tailor founders Will and Harriet Hogge discuss how they created customisable inhaler cases to reduce stigma and improve medication adherence in asthma patients, with early research showing 76% of users take their inhaler more regularly. They also share how a viral TikTok video and Dragon's Den appearance accelerated their growth, and outline plans for NHS clinical trials and international expansion.

S1 E1110 Mar 202516 min

Health Equity & Innovation: Yinka Sholaja on Fighting Sickle Cell with Digital Solutions

Yinka Sholaja discusses how digital health tools like the Digital Health Passport can empower sickle cell disease patients to track symptoms and manage their condition, while highlighting the health inequalities faced by marginalised communities and the potential of AI to improve healthcare accessibility.

S1 E102 Jan 202536 min

Victoria Betton founder PeopleDotCom - a digital health pioneer and advocate for change

Victoria Betton, founder of PeopleDotCom Limited, discusses her 25-year journey from social work to digital health innovation, including her work on a children's health tech accelerator with Sheffield Children's Hospital and an equity charter campaign for inclusive digital health. The conversation explores the challenges of scaling NHS innovation, the importance of user-centered design in healthcare, and the need for sustainable, equitable digital health solutions.

2024

S1 E929 Oct 202435 min

How the Digital Health Passport is Transforming Asthma Care with Kate Cheema, UCLPartners

Kate Cheema from UCLPartners discusses how data and AI are transforming healthcare, highlighting the Digital Health Passport for asthma which achieved a 2.24-point improvement in asthma control and an ROI of £9.28 per £1 spent by empowering patients—particularly young people and underserved communities—to better self-manage their condition and reduce emergency visits.

S1 E82 Oct 202429 min

Charles Kwaku-Odoi CEO, CAHN - harnessing digital tools to reduce health inequalities

Charles Kwaku-Odoi, CEO of the Caribbean & African Health Network, discusses efforts to reduce health inequalities in Black communities, the importance of trust and co-design in healthcare, and his collaboration with Tiny Medical Apps on a Digital Health Passport to empower patients managing long-term conditions like sickle cell anaemia and epilepsy.

S1 E710 Sept 202425 min

Jess Russell, asthma practitioner, on the role of digital tools in supporting better health outcomes

Jess Russell, an experienced asthma practitioner, joins host Dom Burch to discuss how patient education, personalised asthma action plans, and digital tools like the Digital Health Passport are empowering patients to take control of their asthma management. The conversation highlights the importance of support networks, better communication between patients and healthcare providers, and raising broader awareness about asthma.

S1 E612 Aug 202429 min

Behaviour change, chronic condition management, and the role of digital technologies

Health psychologists Dr. Pamela Rackow and Alexandra Dima discuss how digital technologies like gamified apps and tailored interventions can support behaviour change and self-management for chronic conditions, emphasising the need for person-centred care, small achievable steps, and stronger collaboration between researchers, healthcare providers, and digital health developers across Europe.

S1 E55 Jul 202434 min

Laura King - senior children & young peoples' asthma practitioner, illustrator and author

Laura King, a senior children's asthma practitioner in North East London, discusses her career journey into asthma care, the challenges families in deprived areas face managing childhood asthma, and her creative approaches to patient education including visual aids and storybooks. The episode also explores how digital tools like the Digital Health Passport help families consolidate health information, alongside Laura's personal inspirations for improving asthma care for children and young people.

S1 E419 Jun 202432 min

Dr Malcolm White clean air specialist at Global Action Plan - on clean air day

Dr. Malcolm White of Global Action Plan discusses the ongoing health impacts of air pollution in the UK—responsible for up to 43,000 deaths annually—covering its effects beyond respiratory health, the role of clean air zones, healthcare professional education, and practical steps individuals and the NHS can take to reduce exposure and emissions.

S1 E312 Jun 202437 min

Addressing health inequalities, with Monica Fletcher OBE distinguished respiratory health expert

Monica Fletcher OBE, a respiratory health expert with over 30 years' experience, discussed how digital transformation and mobile technology can improve patient outcomes, bridge healthcare gaps globally, and address health inequalities by empowering patients to self-manage while freeing resources for those needing in-person care. She also advocated for systemic changes in UK asthma management, including new commissioning models, wearable devices, and patient-centred design in digital health solutions.

S1 E210 May 202434 min

Sara Nelson, NHS asthma pioneer, Queen's nurse and digital app champion

Sara Nelson, a nurse and asthma care advocate, discusses her work transforming children's health services through digital innovation, including founding the "Ask About Asthma" and "Right Inhaler Image" campaigns, and highlights how co-production with patients and tools like the Digital Health Passport are improving asthma self-management. The episode also explores the development of the National Asthma bundle of care, the impact of air quality on asthma, and the broader potential of digital health solutions for chronic conditions.

S1 E127 Mar 202425 min

Capturing the potential of digital health tools to democratise healthcare - with Dom and Saira

The debut episode of the Digital Health Passport podcast features host Dom Burch and guest Saira Arif, who shares her journey from law to NHS digital health innovation, including developing an asthma management app that empowers patients through symptom tracking and air quality alerts. The conversation explores how digital health tools can democratise healthcare access, improve self-management for chronic conditions, and reach underserved communities.