CHFT Weekly is celebrating our Community Division’s First Birthday - and hailing a big success!

Our reworked Respiratory Care team  has taken on the huge project of making this care more streamlined, seven days a week and, put simply, just better for our patients. 

Project lead,  Heather Moffat, said: “There are so many little arms to this yet they are all starting to come together now. There’s a real team spirit behind the changes and a real sense we are making a difference for our patients. “

The changes have also proven to work in other parts of the country and at the heart it is a proactive multidisciplinary team working closely with the pulmonary rehab team to create an integrated respiratory service. The team are based at St John's Health centre in Halifax. 

Their roles include:

• Reactive – GPs can contact them directly on the Single Point of Access for an immediate assessment for a patient.  The team are supported  by a daily Respiratory Consultant “hot clinic” on MAU at CRH, to which they can triage. Along with a weekly  MDT meeting.
• Proactive – they help patients self-manage their conditions in their own homes and have named staff covering each community hub. Pulmonary rehab provide classes in 2 community venues and a new class for patients moving into end of life with their carers “Breath of Fresh Air” at Overgate hospice;

They also attend in A&E to assess a patient with breathing difficulties and support a discharge so the patient may not have to be admitted unnecessarily. Admission Avoidance and Early Supported Discharge are key elements of the service.

The next stage of mobilisation is to work more closely with primary care. . The team is funded by Calderdale CCG which places a high priority on the new approach as a better way for patients.