Pioneering patient support move shortlisted for top award
A ground-breaking move to improve treatment for severely unwell patients with respiratory problems has been shortlisted for a major award.
The pioneering link-up was originally developed by the Community Respiratory Team at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, and GPs in Ely.
Now the initiative has been named as a finalist in the Health Service Journal Value Awards 2021 which recognise clinical improvements across the country.
CPFT’s Community Respiratory Team supports those with chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis. Patients are referred to the service by their GPs.
But in January this year a new rapid-access service was developed to ensure immediate help for the most unwell patients and to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital.
When a GP identifies a chronically unwell patient, they speak directly to a member of the Community Respiratory Team who will visit and treat them that day.
The scheme has been such a success that it is now being adopted by GPs surgeries across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Louise Goswell, joint clinical lead for the Community Respiratory Team, pictured above (fifth from left) when she and her colleagues won CPFT’s Chair’s Award for Outstanding Performance in 2019, said: “We are really proud to have developed this additional service with the support of the GPs we work so closely with.
“This has led to severely unwell patients getting improved access to treatment and support, and helped to keep them to remain in their own homes rather than having to go to hospital, which they much prefer.
“It is particularly pleasing for the team to have put this in place during the pandemic because Covid continues to be a concern for the kind of patients we treat given the severe respiratory conditions they have.
“For the team for have been shortlisted for this award following such a challenging year is a tremendous boost to everyone’s morale.”
Richard Brixey, Clinical Director of the Ely South Primary Care Network and GP Lead at Staploe Medical Centre, Ely. one of the surgeries that helped develop the new service, said: “Our patients now have access to expert clinical support when they really need it. We hope to build on this further as we move out of lockdown.”
The CPFT team along with GPs from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Northern Alliance of Primary Care Networks are finalists in the Respiratory Care Initiative of the Year Category at the HSJ Value Awards 2021 which will be held in Manchester in September.
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan said: “This year’s finalists have not only contributed to the continued fight against the Covid 19 pandemic within the NHS but have also been exceptionally dedicated to enhancing healthcare across the UK.
“We are honoured to be recognising and celebrating their outstanding work after what is, no doubt, the most challenging year in the history of the NHS. We are looking forward to welcoming them to the ceremony in June."
The full list of finalists for the 2021 HSJ Value Awards can be found on the HSJ website.
CPFT employs more than 4,000 staff who provide community physical healthcare for older people and those with long-term conditions, mental healthcare for children and adults, children’s health services in Peterborough, learning disability support and social care support.
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Andy Burrows
Interim Deputy Head of Communications
E andy.burrows@cpft.nhs.uk
