Search

Clare Cook Physiotherapist, Clinical Lead of a community respiratory team in Bristol, member of PCRS Executive Committee and Chair of the PCRS Respiratory Leadership Group in conversation with Dr Elaine Bevan-Smith Associate COPD Specialist South West of England Academic Health Science Network and founder of the Breathe happy groups.

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has been included as a key intervention in the NHS Long Term Plan. However the PR audit1 showed that only 62% of people referred go on to complete the course. Moreover, the greatest attrition in the referral process occurs between referral to first contact with PR.

An estimated 1.2 million people are living with COPD in the UK1 and research suggests that this number is growing (BLF 2020). Both external and internal environments can be implicated in the aetiology and control of respiratory conditions and people living with COPD are especially vulnerable to exacerbations brought on by poor air quality. PHE estimates that between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths in the UK are thought to be attributable to human-made air pollution (PHE 2019).

In this summary document Dr Noel Baxter describes tobacco dependency as a long term relapsing condition that usually starts in childhood.  In the document he outlines simple steps you can take to support patients to quit including Very Brief Advce (VBA) and he outlines the treatments available to support smoking cessation.

This short FAQ helps to answer some of your questions regarding spirometry in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic.  For further information please visit the ARTP website.

What you need to know about flu vaccination In this article, originally writen by Gail Miles, published in 2018 and updated in 2020 by Ren Lawlor, we discuss the benefits of influenza vaccination, why we need to undertake this every year, who is eligible, which vaccines to use and dispelling common misconceptions about flu vaccination.  We also discuss strategies to increase vaccination uptake.

When Emma Thompson stepped into the role of chair of the South Yorkshire Respiratory Interest Group, a PCRS affiliated local group, she felt overwhelmed by the task ahead of her.

The PCRS Fit to Care document enables healthcare professionals of all disciplines to assess their competencies and any training needs they have to ensure they are  delivering safe and effective respiratory care.  Managers and commissioners can also use the document as a reference to ensure that the healthcare professionals they are responsible for are trained to do the job they are doing and to identify any gaps in their educational needs. 

PCRS has developed a series a checklists for self-reflection, help prepare for revalidation and identify training needs. ✔ GPs Self-Rating Checklist This document acts as a checklist to help evaluate how much we know (or feel confident about) and can be used in collaboration with a friend or mentor to test our self-perceptions and identify areas for further development