Transition, don't transfer

​I recently had the privilege of serving as the patient co-chair for the expert interview session, Transitions in asthma care: Paediatric to Adults, at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2026. Towards the end of our discussion, Professor Hilary made a statement that immediately stuck with me: "Transition, don't transfer."

​Too often, patients are simply handed off and left to navigate the healthcare system alone. It leaves you in a frustrating limbo—you’ve lost the continuous care of your previous specialist, but you're stuck waiting to be seen by the new one.

​In my own experience, support during this "in-between" stage is virtually non-existent. If I experience a flare-up or a new related health issue while waiting, the response is usually: "You've been referred, so there's nothing more we can do."

Unless the issue is minor enough for a GP to handle, you're left waiting months for that new appointment to come through—a reality all too common with current NHS wait times.

​While there is growing conversation around the importance of community-based care, true transition requires active support from general practice. Patients—especially young people—should never feel isolated or risk falling through the cracks during a referral period.

​To make "transition, not transfer" a reality, the system needs to prioritize a few key changes:

​Better Funding for General Practice: Primary care must be properly resourced so GPs actually have the capacity to offer ongoing management and check-ins during referral periods.

​Proactive "In-Between" Support: Healthcare pathways need to explicitly account for what happens to a patient while they wait, offering clear points of contact and holistic support for families and guardians.

​Individualized Care Plans: Specialists and GPs must communicate directly with patients and their support networks to co-create personalized plans for the transition phase.

​We cannot continue to treat patient handoffs as administrative transfers. It’s time the system builds a bridge across the gap, ensuring no one is left stranded in the middle.