In this article we explore what healthcare policy is, why it matters, how we as healthcare professionals can influence UK healthcare policy and why we should. Carol Stonham is our immediate past Executive Chair and leads the PCRS Policy Forum.

In early 2022, trained respiratory healthcare practitioner nurses in general practice were invited to participate in the South West Primary Care Respiratory Champions Project funded by the South West Respiratory Network.

Given the direct impact of COVID-19 on those with existing breathing difficulties, the ‘newly breathless’ – those whose lung function has been impaired by Covid – as well as rising levels of air pollution, the need for social prescribing solutions in respiratory healthcare has never been greater.

The transformation of out of hospital services has been identified as a key element of the NHS recovery plan. Patient care delivered closer to or in their own homes was identified as a priority in the NHS Long Term Plan.

The formation of Integrated Care Systems in July 2022 has given us as healthcare professionals an opportunity to improve and shape respiratory care in our area for patients with respiratory disease.

It can be a challenge to keep up with the rapid changes in how the NHS is governed and organised across all the nations of the UK.

The one-minute sit to stand test (1-MSTST) has become the test of choice during the pandemic for measuring exercise capacity, both at in-person and virtual appointments due to the inability to conduct robust six minute or incremental / endurance shuttle walk tests (6MWT/ ISWT/ ESWT).

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a group of bacteria that are capable of causing opportunistic lung infections and the development of NTM pulmonary disease (NTM-PD).

In this article we review the major changes in the 2023 GOLD report as they impact on the initial and ongoing pharmacological management of COPD and consider the implications for primary care in the UK.

This pragmatic guide on the identification, referral and ongoing management of adults and children with severe asthma has been developed by an expert group led by Dr Steve Holmes, a GP based in Shepton Mallet, Somerset and including Will Carroll, University Hospital of the North Midlands, Stoke-o

This issue of PCRU introduces our latest pragmatic guide on severe asthma which guides you through this process ensuring the right patients end up in the right place with the right care.

The publication of the 2023 GOLD Report Global Strategy for Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of COPD represents a shift in the global recommendations for how we should view, categorize and ultimately treat chron

PCRS welcome the verdict of the inquest into the death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale in 2020.

At the British Thoracic Society (BTS) 2022 Winter Meeting, respiratory experts from around the UK are discussing their apprehension of the looming pressure on the health system as we enter the winter months.