Rates of illness and death from respiratory disease in the North West Coast are among the highest in England, particularly in areas of social deprivation and in certain minority groups.
Health Innovation North West Coast is committed to tackling health inequalities by targeting programmes of health innovation and improvement where they are most needed.
Our respiratory work includes programmes of prevention as well as approaches to improve detection and treatment of asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other breathing conditions.
On these pages you will learn about our role in helping health and care partners to adopt evidenced products and quality improvement programmes; to improve the management of patients with long term conditions in primary care; and to provide support and training for using new tools in different care settings, including care homes.
Find out more about our national and local programmes of work
Fuel Poverty and Respiratory Health
Using population health data and partnerships across health, housing and the voluntary sector to identify respiratory patients affected by fuel poverty and connect them with practical support.
Pathway Transformation Projects
Supporting locally led respiratory improvement projects that address health inequalities, improve diagnosis and optimise care for people living with asthma and COPD.
Respiratory Transformation Partnership
A nationally coordinated programme delivered locally across the North West Coast to improve asthma and COPD pathways through innovation, partnership working and pathway transformation.
Further resources
COPD and Asthma hospital discharge care bundles
COPD is the second most common lung disease in the UK with an estimated 1.2 million people diagnosed with the condition, whilst asthma affects 5.4 million people in the UK (1.1m children, 4.3m adults). The British Thoracic Society (BTS) have developed COPD and Asthma discharge care bundles with the aim of improving care and reducing readmissions for patients admitted with acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and asthma.
Discharge care bundles are available for use by all clinical teams across the UK.
COPD >>>
BTS discharge care bundle
Asthma >>>
BTS discharge care bundle
Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley has created a short film describing a structured asthma medication review.
Tracheostomy safety
A tracheostomy toolkit for healthcare staff has been published by the National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) in collaboration with the Health Innovation Network and the National Patient Safety Improvement Programmes.
Previous programmes
Asthma
Health Innovation North West Coast supported the transformation of asthma care pathways, improving access to innovative diagnostics and treatments to enable earlier diagnosis and better management of severe asthma
Care at home
Health Innovation North West Coast supported the implementation of the Proactive Care @Home framework, enabling healthcare teams to proactively identify and manage people with long-term conditions through virtual-first models of care.
Connected Health Cities
North West Coast Connected Health Cities developed a new algorithm to identify emergency admissions due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) that reflects the way the condition presents.
Covid-19
Health Innovation North West Coast supported the adoption of patient safety tools and training during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping health and care staff identify deterioration, improve clinical decision-making and deliver safer care across community settings.
Pulmonary Rehab
Health Innovation North West Coast supported the redesign of pulmonary rehabilitation pathways across the North West Coast, developing a single, standardised model of care that combines digital and face-to-face rehabilitation to improve access, consistency and long-term support for respiratory patients.