Specialist care
The 2008 COPD audit used access to specialist care during hospital admission for exacerbation of COPD as an indicator of the quality of COPD care. Sine 2003 the proportion of patients seen by a respiratory specialist (respiratory nurse or physiotherapist or respiratory physician) has risen but further improvement is required.
‘People with COPD should receive a specialist respiratory review when acute episodes have required referral to hospital’
(DH (2010) Consultation on a Strategy for Services for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in England)
Respiratory specialist care provides an opportunity for:
- patient education
- review of the patient’s management
- ensuring treatment is optimal
- discharge planning
Across the projects it was identified that capacity problems, lack of cover for weekends and periods of leave and lack of clear referral pathways all contributed to the patient not receiving specialist care during an admission for acute exacerbation of COPD.
Several of the project sites chose to address specialist care as part of their work with NHS Improvement – Lung and are trialling different approaches such as:
- early referral for specialist nursing review
- daily ward round with a consultant chest physician
- different approaches to bed management
Early data from the project sites suggest that these interventions may reduce patients length of stay as well as increasing the quality of care.
More information
For more information about transforming acute care, please contact:
Catherine Thompson
National Improvement Lead
Lung Improvement Programme
NHS Improvement
Mobile: 0782 514 2815
Email: catherine.thompson@improvement.nhs.uk