December 2009 Respiratory National Clinical Directors appointed and Lung Improvement Programme launched in England

We are delighted to announce the appointment of joint National Clinical Directors for respiratory disease in England. Their role will be to raise awareness of respiratory disease, and to oversee and steer the improvement of respiratory services in the NHS, with a particular focus on COPD, asthma, home oxygen and sleep apnoea. Professor Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer in the Department of Health and Dr Robert Winter, Chest Physician at Addenbrookes, and East of England SHA Medical Director, have been appointed to these important roles.

This means that respiratory disease now has national clinical directors sitting alongside those for cancer, CHD, diabetes, children’s health and mental health, championing the cause of respiratory disease at the highest levels in the NHS.

To see the DH press release, click here

A new NHS Lung Improvement Programme has also been launched by NHS Improvement to support the development of clinical networks and the implementation of the forthcoming National Strategy for COPD.  Its Lung Improvement team will support respiratory leads in the SHAs, the development of Respiratory Networks, and pilot programmes to improve the management of respiratory disease. It will build on the successes of existing national improvement programmes in Cancer, Cardiac, Diagnostics and Stroke services. The Lung Improvement Programme aims to support clinical teams, commissioners, service managers and other key stakeholders deliver effective clinical practice through process improvement and redesign. They have set up a Lung Improvement page here.

IMPRESS will work with LIP to share examples of good practice, and to support the development of local networks. 

 Lung Improvement Programme (LIP) and NHS Evidence
From January 2010 the Lung Improvement Programme (LIP) will be conducting a search for examples that "promote high standards in efficiency and effectiveness, as well as providing good quality integrated care across all stages of severity and have clearly measurable outcomes against a robust baseline of activity" in COPD and asthma.  There are proformas available here for COPD and home oxygen and asthma.  LIP requests a covering email giving permission for the example to be shared across the NHS.   Where appropriate, examples will be shared with the Department of Health which is supporting the collection of specific examples of good practice to be published on the NHS Evidence web-site.    First deadline: 29 January 2010
 

For more information on good practice  go to good practice examples.

IMPRESS Award December 2009

The IMPRESS Award for Innovation in Integrated Primary and Secondary Respiratory Care is supported by the joint partners in IMPRESS, BTS and PCRS UK, with the aim of acknowledging and celebrating excellence in respiratory healthcare.  The joint sponsorship arrangement reflects the aims of the IMPRESS project:-

 "providing the clinical leadership required to drive high quality patient centred care across the traditional boundaries of secondary and primary care to integrate and improve the services for people with respiratory disease".

The 2009 IMPRESS Award
The 2009 IMPRESS Award was presented at the 2009 BTS Winter Meeting:
 

2009 Award Winners
COPD Patient Pathway Project
Guy’s and St Thomas’ & Kings Charities
Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Kings College NHS Foundation Trusts
Lambeth & Southwark Primary Care Trusts

2009 Special Commendation
The South East Essex Model for Integrated COPD Care
Southend University Hospital
South East Essex PCT
Audley Mills Surgery
School of Health and Human Sciences, University of Essex
Southend Breathe Easy 

A link will also be provided on the good practice pages to both these and to the 2008 winner Salford PCT and Salford Royal Foundation Trust Salford’s Integrated COPD Service and to the 2008 Special Commendation from Solihull Care Trust and Solihull Hospital, Heart of England Acute Trust Patient Focused Integrated Respiratory Care

Background information to the IMPRESS Award July 2009

Displaying Innovation in Integrated Primary and Secondary Respiratory Care – The 2009 IMPRESS Award

"providing the clinical leadership required to drive high quality patient centred care across the traditional boundaries of secondary and primary care to integrate and improve the services for people with respiratory disease".

Integration of primary and secondary care is a core theme and all submissions should demonstrate how their initiative has contributed to integrated care.   Initiatives which address the following sub-themes are particularly welcome:

•  New ways of working, and/or development of new professional roles, in primary, secondary or intermediate care
• Integration with social care
• Promoting patient choice about where they receive their care
• Provision of a truly patient-centred service
• Offering support for those with long-term respiratory conditions

HOW TO APPLY
The deadline is Monday 21 September 2009.
 
Applications are invited from teams and units rather than individuals. Applications should be sent by email to bts@brit-thoracic.org.uk no later than 21 September 2009. Please mark your email “IMPRESS Award 2009”
 
The application should contain the following information:

• Names and positions of all members of the team
• Name and email address of contact person
• Institution/Organisation name and address
• Title of the service/initiative
• Details of the service/initiative that has been developed including the reasons for the development of the service/initiative, methods used,  outcome/results and future plans.

Applications should be no more than 2 A4sides with up to one figure/illustration.

A supporting statement from an appropriate Medical Director/Clinical Director or equivalent principal should be included at the end of the application or as a covering note.
 
The selection panel will comprise members of the IMPRESS Committee who will look for evidence that patients have been involved in development of the initiative.
 
The Award will be presented during the President’s Reception in the evening of Thursday 3 December 2009, during the BTS Winter Meeting.   Applicants will be notified of the results in early November and will be expected to attend to receive the award if successful.

Enquiries: sally.welham@brit-thoracic.org.uk

2009

20 July - two new presentations added from Summer BTS meeting: How to win friends and influence people: how to use data and relationship building to achieve change in services, particularly primary care from the Salford team of June Roberts, Dr N Diar Bakerly and Anna Thompson, and  Advice to NHS providers (focusing on community providers)  about how to work with commissioners successfully from Sharon Haggerty  from NHS Darlington.

18 June -  IMPRESS  conference webcasts now available here.

18 June - two new documents from the NHS  recommended by IMPRESS: Junior Doctor Guide to the NHS and Public and Patient Engagement.

9 June 2009 Acorn Awards. Please consider applying for the NHS Alliance Acorn Awards to demonstrate how respiratory care can be improved. For more details click here.

6 June 2009 The 2009 IMPRESS Award – Displaying Innovation in Integrated Primary and Secondary Respiratory Care. Applications are invited from teams and units rather than individuals. Further details can be found here

March 2009

Service Specification for Investigation and treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome

OSAS is a very common condition with a major impact on health and society, but its importance has been recognised belatedly and services for the investigation and treatment of affected individuals in the UK have developed slowly and patchily. This document explains the nature of the condition, its impact on health and social functioning, the principles and details of investigation and treatment and the requirements for long term support and management.

This service specification represents the views and recommendations of the British Thoracic Society (BTS), Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology (ARTP), General Practice Airways Group (GPIAG) and the Sleep Apnoea Trust Association (SATA). We hope that it will help to achieve improvements in the availability of services and in the quality of care for individuals with OSAS.

A copy of this document can be downloaded here

2008

Dec 11 2008: NHS England Operating Framework published including details of PCT allocations, priorities for the next two years 2009/2011, the Vital Signs framework, the framework for CQUINs (see Jargon Buster for new terms) and the standard NHS contracts for acute, ambulance and community services.

4 December 2008: an 18-week breathlessness pathway (for obstructive lung disease) has been launched. Click here. This will provide opportunities for commissioners and clinicians to work together as part of a well-established pathway programme.   IMPRESS will discuss what it might need to do to support its implementation.

IMPRESS presented a session at the NHS Confederation's PCT Network Conference World Class Commissioning, World Class Health on 22 January 2009 at the Building Design Centre, London. Click here for presentations.

National COPD Audit 2008. The findings were released on 19 November 2008. The participation rate in acute trusts was an incredible 98%. Data were collected about general aspects of COPD care and specific Quality Indicators for COPD services, namely: non-invasive ventilation (NIV), pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), early discharge schemes (EDS) and oxygen services. Also, information about palliative care services for people with COPD was collected.  Click here for the summary report and here for more information.

 Living and Dying with COPD is an educational package from IMPRESS consisting of a DVD and CD of PowerPoint slides. Copies is now available. For further information click and to order a copy click here.

October 17 2008
lntegrated care pilots (primary and community clinician-led and PCT endorsed pilots): the final prospectus and evidence base review are now online.  If you are aware of any respiratory proposals, do let us know.

16 July
New Department of Health End of Life Care Strategy – promoting high quality care for all adults at the end of life launched. This highlights communication skills deficits – starting the conversation – which IMPRESS has already picked up for COPD and will address  in its communication educational resources that are currently in production.

3 July
As part of Next Stage Review Primary and Community Care Strategy launched including plans for pilot integrated care organisations.

IMPRESS has joined forces with The NHS Alliance, Association of British Clinical Diabetologists, British Geriatrics Society, British Society for Rheumatology, Primary Care Cardiovascular Society and Society for Endocrinology to respond to the Next Stage Review and its proposals for integrated healthcare: Integrated Healthcare: from aspiration to implementation.

For the report click here

Please note that we have heard that the Department of Health will be testing and evaluating new ways in which PCTs can commission more integrated services from innovative groups of clinicians. We expect this to be a tight timescale, and you are advised to have proposals ready by early September: 

“We are inviting proposals for pilots that involve clinicians working on a more collaborative bases across primary, community and secondary care – with local authorities and other sectors, including social care – to achieve more personal, responsive care and better outcomes for a local population.

The pilots will be based on the registered patient lists for groups of GP practices, and will be joint proposals from groups of primary and community clinicians with local authorities to provide integrated health and social care services."

30 June 2008
The review of the NHS by Lord Darzi is published: High Quality Care For All: NSR final report launched.
Cick here.  

It is accompanied by NHS Next Stage Review: A Quality Workforce. 
Click here

For a summary of the  Review by IMPRESS Project Manager, Siân Williams, go to the Policy page.

25 June 2008
New IMPRESS COMMISSIONING A COMMUNITY COPD SERVICE: LESSONS FOR THE NHS
Based on a case study in Somerset PCT including dos and don'ts of procurement.  
Click here

18 June 2008
Respiratory HRG version 4.3 is now available for quick reference.  
See Jargon Buster Appendix 2.

3 June 2008
In conjunction with the launch by the Department of Health of Primary Care Trust Procurement Guide for Health Services IMPRESS has published its dos and don’ts of procurement as part of its paper Commissioning a community COPD service: Lessons for the NHS based on a case study in Somerset PCT.  See our commissioning page.  It will be followed by a fuller account of a case study from Somerset PCT about procurement of a COPD service  (see 25 June).

We have also become aware of the lack of convergence between the evidence bases used by some commissioners, and that used by clinicians for decision-making. We are therefore reviewing how best to ensure that evidence from BTS and GPIAG conferences and publications gets into the domain of managers and commissioners.  Equally, we are scanning the NHS websites for information about new service models in respiratory care, to ensure that the evidence from these is shared across the clinical community.