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The number of asthma deaths among children and young people (CYP) in the UK has remained stubbornly constant despite advances in medication, delivery systems and maintenance and reliever therapy regimens.1 We agree that asthma deaths among CYP should be a zero event. The new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on asthma management,2 produced in conjunction with the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN), was therefore welcomed in the hope that combining often previously conflicting guidelines would simplify management and address the unchanged mortality rates. Historically, there was always a potential conflict when looking for asthma guidance, as two, often contradictory guidelines existed in forms of NICE and BTS/SIGN. Therefore, a single guideline incorporating all three parties was hoped to provide clarity and remove dubiety.