PHARMACIES in Wharfedale and Aireborough have become some of the first in Leeds to offer a new inhaler advice service.

The initiative aims to help people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) use their inhalers more effectively - and so better manage their symptoms.

It is being offered at 25 community pharmacies to start with but will be rolled out to 50, across the city, in the autumn.

Local chemists now offering the service include Boots on Kirkgate, Otley; Well Pharmacy on High Street, Yeadon; and the Your Local Boots Pharmacy at Rawdon Surgery, on New Road Side.

About 8 million people in the UK have asthma while 1.2 million have COPD, with an estimated further 2 million who are undiagnosed.

In Leeds nearly 50,000 people have asthma and 17,000 have COPD.

Most sufferers use inhalers to manage their conditions and relieve symptoms, but a recent Asthma UK survey showed that up to a third weren't using them properly.

Dr Katherine Hickman, GP and Clinical Lead for Respiratory for NHS Leeds CCG, said: "The Inhaler Check Service is about making sure people with asthma and COPD are able to use their inhalers in the correct way and that they are appropriate for them.

"In Leeds we have recognised that some people with asthma or COPD have been prescribed an inhaler that they might find difficult to use.

"Unfortunately this can affect how well their respiratory condition is controlled.

"The community pharmacies across Leeds will help patients have easier access to inhaler checks, to ensure they are getting the most from their inhalers and that their asthma or COPD is well controlled."

People whose local pharmacies are not yet offering the service can still ask for a medicines use review, which is an appointment with a pharmacist to discuss how patients are getting on with their medicines.