A pilot project helping people in South Sefton who live with severe breathing illnesses has won a
prestigious award. The project, funded by the local South Sefton GP pathfinder consortium and led by NHS Sefton, was a winner at the first North West Respiratory Awards.
Nearly 200 nurses, clinicians and therapists attended the first of a series of events that aim to raise the standard of care offered by respiratory services in the North West. The awards aim to recognise and share good practice.
The breathing illness, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), is the second highest cause of emergency admissions to hospital in Sefton. To tackle this, the team from NHS Sefton devised a bprogramme that supports patients to better manage their condition, and at the same time trains all GP practice staff to spot symptoms earlier, avoiding unnecessary hospitalisation for their patients.
The team focused on six practices with the highest number of patients with conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Initial results of the pilot show it has reduced the number of people dmitted to hospital because of their COPD.
Sue Renwick, Development Manager for NHS Sefton, explains: “It was important to involve everyone in the practice who comes into contact with COPD patients – from the receptionist, through to the family doctor.”
“The project has involved staff from across NHS Sefton, with our specialist British Lung Foundation Respiratory Nurse, Sandra Bonner, taking a leading role in training and supporting practice staff to better understand COPD and spot the early warning signs. Alongside this we’ve developed a simple traffic light information system for patients to help them get the right treatment at the right time, which is crucial in ensuring they can manage their illness more effectively without the need to go to hospital. It’s simple stuff that is making a real difference to this group of patients.”
Dr Clive Shaw, Chair of the South Sefton Practice Based Commissioning Confederation, said: “We’re extremely proud of the whole team on gaining this award, which recognises the success of this project in helping patients to better manage their condition and make a real improvement to the quality of their lives.”
Dr John Williams is one of the North West’s respiratory leads behind the awards. He said: “Respiratory disease is a big problem in the North West. In the last nine months alone, nearly 16,000 people have been admitted to hospital as a result of lung problems; we have one of the highest numbers of people dying each year as a result of respiratory disease, 34 out of every 100,000 people.”
“We have some really committed NHS teams in our GP practices and hospitals, working to ensure people get the best treatment possible. We were really impressed with the work of the the team from South Sefton. This is an excellent model of care that we believe others should learn from.”
“Although in many cases lung disease cannot be cured, with the right medical care and support, it is possible to improve people’s quality of life, reduce pain and in some cases prolong life.”
“It is important to get people diagnosed early, because then we can begin to build care around their needs,” added Dr Williams. “It is astonishing that 23 per cent of patients put off seeing their GP for ten years after they first notice symptoms.”
If you want to find out more about respiratory disease, or you are concerned, talk to your GP or go to
www.lunguk.org for more information.
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