Patients in Liverpool will benefit from the improved treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) after the region won funding for a package of innovative projects.
A consortium of health organisations, led by NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) and backed by Health Innovation North West Coast, has won a share of a £2.61m national fund to launch the initiatives.
The programme aims to deliver national priorities by improving early and accurate diagnosis by expanding access to spirometry and improving diagnostic pathways; and by mbedding risk-stratified and optimised care to prevent avoidable exacerbations.
The programme will focus on delivering equitable access to treatment, boosting workforce capacity and improving the use of data to support treatment.
It aims to embed care based on evidence, reduce unwarranted variation in outcomes and reinforce the long-term delivery and evaluation capacity in respiratory services.
Crucially, the initiative will be delivered in the areas of highest deprivation in Liverpool, working closely with local GP practices and primary care teams to reach patients who are often ‘difficult to engage’ through traditional healthcare services.
The Liverpool consortium was one of nine such groups that each won a £300,000 share of that national Pathway Transformation Fund (PTF).
Funded by NHS England and the Office for Life Sciences, the PTF aims to drive system-wide transformation in asthma and COPD care.
The Merseyside consortium consists of: University Hospitals of Liverpool Group: Central Liverpool Primary Care Network; NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board; Liverpool Place; NHS England North West Respiratory Clinical Delivery Network; Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital; Health Innovation North West Coast.
The application was led by the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board Respiratory Network, with key support from Dr Jim Gardner, Group Chief Medical Officer at UHL Group, and Liverpool Place commissioners.
Health Innovation North West Coast’s role will be to support the design and delivery of the programme.
Dr Justine Hadcroft, Project Lead at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Clinical Lead for Community Respiratory Engagement and Delivery, said: “This funding represents a significant opportunity to transform care for some of our most vulnerable respiratory patients.
“By working across organisational boundaries and within communities, we hope to deliver real improvements in diagnosis, treatment and patient experience.”
Dr Paul Walker, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Aintree University Hospital and Diagnostic Lead for the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB Respiratory Network, said: “Empowering primary care teams is central to transforming respiratory care in Liverpool.
“By equipping clinicians with the skills and confidence to manage conditions like COPD and asthma more effectively, we’re not only improving patient outcomes today, we’re laying the groundwork for sustainable, long-term change.
“This project is about building capability across the system so that high-quality respiratory care becomes the norm.”
Rhiannon Clarke, who is leading the project for Health Innovation North West Coast and played a central role in developing the bid, said: “We’re delighted to be among the successful consortia because respiratory disease is a priority condition in our area.
“We do have experience of developing innovative approaches to lung disease, asthma and COPD and this latest bid will help us to build on that.
“We’re hoping we can contribute to a transformation in the way these conditions are treated and provide solutions that can be adopted and spread across our region and beyond.”
The remaining eight successful consortia were led by: Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Merton Health CIC Primary Care Collaborative, Mid Yorkshire Hospital NHS Trust, NHS Humber Health Partnership, North West London Integrated Care Board, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
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