Fit to Care Publication Launched

PCRS is delighted to announce the publication of Fit to Care, which provides a succinct summary of the key knowledge skills and training required by healthcare professionals caring for people with respiratory disease in a primary or community care setting, at three clearly defined levels of practice (standard, advanced and expert).

People living with respiratory disease require a significant amount of support, guidance and intervention to manage their condition effectively. These interventions need to be delivered by clinicians with an appropriate level of expertise in this field. There is currently variation in the standard of respiratory care provided to patients, demonstrated by national reports such as the National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD)¹ and the COPD Audit.²   This variation is affected not only by the services patients are engaged with/referred to but also the level of training, education and experience of the clinicians responsible for the provision of such care.

The aim of this document is to:

1. Support all healthcare professionals to review and reflect on their own knowledge skills and training with respect to the requirements of respiratory care delivery they are required to undertake as part of their professional role and assess areas where further development and training is required
2. Act as evidence to help healthcare professionals to seek support from their employers for further training and development
3. Provide guidance for employers and commissioners on the skills, knowledge and training required by healthcare professionals, irrespective of profession, working with patients with a respiratory condition in a primary or community care setting.
4. Support the consistent delivery of high quality respiratory care and reduce variation in care as a result of inadequate training/skills

Access the Fit to Care document

References

1. Royal College of Physicians. Why asthma still kills: the National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) Confidential Enquiry report. London: Royal College of Physicians, 2014.  http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/pcrs-uk.org/files/whyasthma-still-kills-ful
2. Royal College of Physicians. COPD: Who cares when it matters most?’ National COPD Audit Programme: Outcomes from the clinical audit of COPD exacerbations admitted to acute units in England, 2014. London: Royal College of Physicians, 2017.  https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/copd-who-cares-when-it-mattersmost-outcomes-report-2014