Who are we?

• We are a group of stakeholders, including people with respiratory conditions and health professionals, who want to improve respiratory care for people in Cheshire and Merseyside and Lancashire and South Cumbria.
• Formed in 2020, the network’s primary purpose is to reduce variation in delivery of care and support the sharing of best practice across regions and across the country. The network provides a strong foundation to manage the demand for respiratory services, reduce pressures on the healthcare system, and support the implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan objectives.
• Clinical leadership is essential in developing a strong foundation for effective functioning and our network supports the planning for increased demand of services, especially during winter where expert support and advice is required to assist with national priorities.

Clinical leads for Cheshire and Merseyside:

Dr Sarah Sibley – Consultant Chest Physician, Liverpool Heart and Chest NHS Foundation Trust

Paul Walker – Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust and Sefton Community Respiratory Team

Samantha Hayes – Consultant Physiotherapist, Knowsley Community Respiratory Service

Clinical leads for Lancashire and South Cumbria:

Dr Stuart Berry – GP Partner

Dr Sharada Gudur – Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Kathryn Prior – Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Catherine Edwards – Advanced Specialist Practitioner in Respiratory Physiotherapy

What are our aims?

• Improve the early and accurate diagnosis of respiratory conditions in Cheshire and Merseyside.
• Provide evidence based, cost effective treatment (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) for people diagnosed and living with chronic respiratory disease alongside patient, family and carer education about how to effectively self-manage their health.

• Ensure that services are designed to meet the need of the most vulnerable in our population, are easy to access and high quality. Proactively identify patients at risk of deterioration to enable early intervention. Align every activity and output with tackling health inequality.
• Transform the way that we deliver care to move to an integrated approach, tiered according to need. Increase the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals working across the system, enabling them to practice at their highest level by developing their skills and knowledge. Promote the use of technology where appropriate to improve efficiency.
• Work to prevent development of lung disease through partnership with smoking cessation and local efforts to target air pollution and encourage activity and exercise.

How do we do it?

• Networking and partnership working to identify where improvements can be made.
• Establishing best practice and developing materials such as pathways, recommendations and resources that can be adopted by clinicians and commissioners.
• Using pilots to evidence best practice and shared learning.
• Promoting practice change by supporting implementation of local proposals.
• Our future vision is preventing people developing lung disease, identifying those who may have lung disease earlier, and more accurately, so they can receive the best care, and ensuring those with lung disease are managed well. This should be delivered in an equitable and sustainable manner across the North West.

How can I get involved?

We recognise that patients, ex-patients, carers and/or members of the public with an interest in respiratory services play an important role in helping to shape the clinical networks’ projects.

If you would like to get involved, please email alexander.challands@nhs.net for further information.