Shortlisted with partners in HSJ Patient Safety Awards
We are thrilled that our partnership project, The Virtual Respiratory Clinic led by Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), has been shortlisted in the HSJ Patient Safety Awards under the category of Urgent and Emergency Care.
A drop-in respiratory clinic was launched In August 2024 at, instigated and led by experts in respiratory medicine, Professor Dominick Shaw (University of Leicester) and Dr Andrew Fogarty (University of Nottingham) in partnership with NUH, City Care, Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Framework. Sandeep Nagra our Clinical Nurse Specialist (RGN) was involved in the implementation and development of this fantastic clinic.
The clinic supports people with acute respiratory conditions who are experiencing rough sleeping or homelessness. Patients have access to observations, sputum culture, venepuncture, spirometry, X-rays, and CT scans. Typical treatments provided include inhalers, antibiotics, steroids, rescue packs and nicotine replacement therapy. Nottingham Recovery Network, the Rough Sleepers Drug & Alcohol Treatment Team and the Health Shop (run by Nottinghamshire Healthcare), have played a critical role in facilitating engagement for individuals experiencing severe and multiples disadvantages. The co-location of substance use, mental health and social care services has facilitated the delivery of high-quality person-centred care, reducing stigma and ensuring continuity of care across different providers, including primary care services.
Prioritising lung health is especially important in rough sleepers. Many have co-existing respiratory comorbidities, such as asthma, COPD, viral bronchitis, pneumonia, and TB, which are all exacerbated by substance misuse and smoking. The clinic has a high attendance rate with significant levels of flexibility to accommodate unplanned and emergency-based appointments. It is helping to prevent hospital admissions, emergency department (ED) attendances and ambulance call outs, by having senior clinicians assess patients and implement personalised treatment decisions. There have been multiple diagnoses of chronic lower respiratory diseases, chest infections and pneumonia. The staff have received amazing patient feedback, which reflects that service users feel supported to access their appointment, involved in decisions, rate their experience as outstanding/excellent, and they would recommend it to other people!
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on 15 September.
*Photo credit - Nottingham University Hospitals Communications Team
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