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General Practice Awards 2018: Respiratory Care finalists

General Practice Awards 2018: Respiratory Care finalists
By Beth Gault Freelance Journalist
27 October 2018



The finalists for the General Practice Awards, which celebrate leading examples of innovation, hard work and leadership within primary care, were revealed at the end of August.

The awards, which will be held on 30 November at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel in London, are in their tenth year and, in the run-up to next month’s awards ceremony, Healthcare Leader is profiling the shortlisted candidates.

Judges were looking for primary care teams who had delivered invaluable patient care for any long-term respiratory condition such as asthma and COPD.

Entrants had to demonstrate innovation, sustainability and a successful service.

Respiratory Care Solutions, Leeds

Leeds Respiratory Network was set up in 2013 as an educational initiative which aimed to enhance the knowledge of primary care staff of respiratory diseases. To build on the services offered by the network, Respiratory Care Solutions (RCS) was created as a social enterprise providing respiratory services to GP practices, federations and CCGs.

RCS was awarded a 12 month contract last year to serve a federation of practices in the Leeds South and East area, with the aim of standardising respiratory care and improving patient outcomes through teaching clinicians and holding clinics with nurses.

Through the network and the RCS, hundreds of healthcare professionals have attended free educational evenings and study days, 20 nurses have been funded to attend the primary care respiratory society annual conference, and 10 nurses have been sent to leadership courses.

CliniTouch Vie: Digital COPD Team

The ambition behind CliniTouch Vie (CTV) was to create a flexible, real-time remote monitoring solution to help patients regain control over their respiratory conditions.

The CTV is a locked-down tablet with 3G, which has direct messaging and video support, to help patients manage their conditions. It was delivered for £1 per patient per day, for a full 24/7 digital service.

Rolled out over a 12-month period to 66 COPD patients aged between 47 and 88, it used inbuilt care plans and algorithms to automate the triage process. It has enabled healthcare teams to ensure timely interventions for those at risk.

As a result of the scheme, there has been a 59% reduction in emergency COPD admissions, 7250 interventions delivered and 286 educational materials have been acc

Mount View Primary Mental Health Team

This team wanted to tackle the mental health implications of long term illnesses, such as COPD. By offering cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based workshops to those with COPD, the team helped patients develop positive coping strategies to help patients live well despite their condition.

There are five one and a half hour workshops for patients to attend, where a CBT therapist helps patients understand their conditions and the problems it may cause.

All patients who have attended the workshops have given positive evaluations, and 72% achieved a significant improvement on the PHQ9 and GAD7 patient evaluation forms.

Abbeyview Surgery

With long waiting lists for pulmonary rehab in Lincolnshire, Abbeyview surgery set out to increase the accessibility of care for patients suffering from long term respiratory conditions in the area.

The practice educated the clinical team to increase their respiratory disease management skills, and revamped the appointments system to release clinical time in order to be more proactive with patient care.

Additional clinics were set up outside of working hours, educational events were opened up to patients, families and carers to improve knowledge among patients, such as the Breathe Easy event which was attended by 90 individuals.

Annual review visits were also streamlined, with new templates to record the consultation. A joint clinic was also set up to enable quick treatment.

South Lincolnshire CCG

The South Lincolnshire CCG has encouraged practices to use respiratory nurse specialists via the National Services for Health Improvement Health, after receiving feedback that practices would like support on managing COPD and asthma patients.

The aim is to assess patients who are recorded as moderate or severe, and those taking high doses of medication or add-on therapies and require greater understanding and management of their condition.

Each patient is given a 25-40 minute appointment with the nurse, where patients and their medication are reviewed, and a management plan is agreed upon.

The model has now been replicated in South West Lincolnshire CCG.

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