Abstract

Introduction/Background:
The RESPS team was established in 2011 as a community service providing pulmonary rehabilitation, chronic disease management and physiotherapy for patients with COPD, bronchiectasis and interstitial lung disease. It also provides the HOSAR for East Sussex. RESPS is part of an integrated trust and working closely with commissioners, it has expanded in line with growing demands and integrated care ambitions set out in the NHS Long-term plan (2019) and further refined in the respiratory medicine GIRFT report (2021).

We now provide:

-home NIV service

-7-day admission avoidance service

-an inpatient COPD discharge bundle service

-an ILD specialist nurse service

-a post Covid breathlessness pathway embedded within the PCASS service

-a respiratory virtual ward.

RESPS uses coordinated decision making through multidisciplinary meetings attended by the local hospices and NHS Talking Therapies Service to provide holistic patient care. We work closely with local VCSE respiratory organisations

Measurement of improvement

Since its establishment:

-Referrals have increased from an average of 977 per year in2016-2017 to 1854 in 2023-2024

-An increase in patients supported with admission avoidance from 316 in 2016-2017 to 786 in 2023-2024

-In its first 12 months, the respiratory virtual ward looked after 405 patients saving a total of 1941 acute hospital bed days

Effects of change

Alongside the benefits for the local health economy, our patients report the benefits of holistic care for their respiratory condition from one specialist service available at their time of need. The close links forged between RESPS, the commissioners and respiratory VCSE is the key driver of our success.

Plans for the future

Work is currently under way to:

-Integrate a smoking cessation adviser within RESPS by working with public health commissioners

-Become a tier 2 ILD service

-Become an accredited pulmonary rehabilitation service