Respiratory Services

The South Eastern Trust provides a comprehensive respiratory service to patients across all hospital sites including inpatient care, out-patient clinics and ambulatory care.

In patient care is provided primarily in wards 3A and 3B in the Ulster hospital, ward 1A in Lagan Valley Hospital and ward 2 in Downe hospital. Alongside the medical teams Respiratory Nurse specialists work across all hospitals providing specialist support and advice to their ward colleagues. Respiratory physiotherapy teams provide assessment and treatment of respiratory patients on all wards as needed.

• Specialist Outpatient clinics include:
•  Bronchiectasis
• Interstitial lung Disease
• COPD/Asthma
• Home oxygen assessment and review clinics
• Sleep clinics
• Lung cancer clinics

These clinics will be either consultant or nurse /physiotherapy led clinics and are usually located in hospital out-patient departments.

Ambulatory care Hubs provide rapid access to respiratory specialist advice and treatment as an alternative to hospital admission or ED attendance. This is a Consultant led service supported by respiratory nurses and respiratory physiotherapists.

Our medical team work closely with Critical care colleagues to provide specialist care for those who need more respiratory support.

The respiratory team also work alongside the Palliative care teams to support patients who have symptom control issues ( e.g. breathlessness) or a limited prognosis.

All parts of the respiratory service work alongside our clinical physiology department  and you may be asked attend the Pulmonary Function lab to perform ‘breathing tests’  as part of  an assessment or to monitor the effects of any treatment.

The hospital respiratory service will liaise closely with our respiratory community teams to provide a seamless transition into primary care for those patients requiring on-going support  at home following discharge.

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• Bronchiectasis

  Bronchiectasis patients are looked after by a multidisciplinary team consisting of a Doctor, nurse and physiotherapist. New and review clinics are held at the Ulster, Lagan Valley and Downe hospitals as well as Bangor and Ards community hospitals.

• Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)

  Patients with ILD are looked after in a Respiratory Consultant led service supported by the Trust ILD nurse specialist. New and review clinics are held in Ulster, Lagan valley and Downe hospitals. Your clinic reviews may be face to face or by telephone.

• Sleep Disorders

  Patients with a sleep disorder are looked after by a Respiratory consultant who works closely with the clinical physiologists to diagnose and manage our condition and provide any equipment and monitoring that may be required.

• Asthma/COPD

  Patients attending a hospital clinic will be under the care of a Respiratory Consultant but you may be reviewed by one the respiratory nurse specialists at clinic. Clinics are held on all hospital sites.

• Home Oxygen assessment and review (HOSAR)

  If your respiratory team think that you may need oxygen you will be referred to this clinic for assessment. There are oxygen clinics in Lagan valley, Downe and Ards hospitals.

• Lung Cancer

  There are many people involved in providing care for patients with lung cancer. This group is called a Multi-Disciplinary Team (or MDT)

  New and review clinics are held at the Ulster, Lagan Valley and Downe Hospital and also at Ards and Bangor Community Hospitals. In 2011 a Red Flag Respiratory Clinic (for suspected lung cancers) was established at the Ulster Hospital and now almost all Red Flag referrals are coordinated through this service. Thoracic surgery services are provided by the Belfast Trust.

• Referrals

  Referrals to Thoracic medicine are made through your GP to the relevant Consultant.

• Useful Resources

  British Lung Foundation:

  www.blf.org.uk

  Chest heart and stroke NI

  www.nichs.org.uk