Our nurses are experienced in looking after patients who have difficulty managing symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing and sputum production. We assess patients admitted to hospital and help the doctors decide which treatments the patient may need. We perform breathing tests called spirometry to see how well the patient is responding to medicines, and will also assess which inhalers are best suited to individual patients.
We also provide a range of advice and support. We can show patients how and when to use inhalers and help patients and families understand how to self-manage their condition. We are all qualified smoking cessation advisors, and can help and guide patients who would like to stop smoking, either permanently or during their stay in hospital.
We work closely with respiratory consultants and junior doctors. We also liaise closely with the respiratory physiotherapist and occupational therapist. This means that all of the patients’ needs, such as exercising and looking after themselves when at home, are looked at. We will then offer assistance to help patients manage their condition better.
We also run education groups in the community for patients with COPD and their families. We support the practice nurses and GPs and provide advice on how to manage respiratory patients in the community.
Clinics
We run a variety of clinics for a range of conditions, including:
- Bronchiectasis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Unexplained cough
- Asthma
- COPD
Some patients who are struggling with daily activities due to breathlessness can be seen by the nurses in clinic and their medication can be looked at and improved if necessary. These patients can then be referred to the hospital respiratory exercise group, called pulmonary rehabilitation, where they can be shown how to do specific exercises to help their breathing and help them manage better at home.
Early discharge programme
The nurse assesses patients with asthma and COPD to decide whether they can be safely allowed home on an ‘early discharge’ programme. If so, the patient will be discharged earlier than normal, but will be visited at home by a nurse on a frequent basis. The nurse will offer the ongoing care that would normally be received in hospital in the comfort of the patient’s own home.
Home oxygen service
The nurses run the home oxygen service, so that any patient who may need oxygen in their own home is assessed either at Harrogate District Hospital or at home. If oxygen is required, we will arrange its delivery and show the patient and their family how to use it. The patient will then be seen regularly to help support them with this treatment.
Nebuliser Service
The respiratory nurses manage the home nebuliser service for patients who need larger doses of their medication. We see patients for nebuliser assessments either in clinic or at the patients home. If a patient needs a nebuliser long term, we arrange the delivery and maintenance of the equipment and advise the patient and their family how to use and care for it.
Location
We are based on Granby Ward on the second floor of Harrogate District Hospital.
We see patients when they are admitted to hospital with a flare-up of their condition, as ward attenders in the assessment room on Granby Ward, in outpatient clinics in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Wetherby, Alwoodley and in patients’ own homes.
Key staff
Respiratory Nurse Consultant: Terry Robinson
Respiratory Nurse Specialists: Shona Shires, Caroline Fletcher, Lana Hannant, Nicola Bell, Jo Nicholson and Lizzie Roberts
Clinical Support Worker: Tom Grzeda
Useful links
- British Lung Foundation
- British Lung Foundation Breathe Easy Group – these support groups provide help and advice for people living with a lung condition. The Harrogate group is held on the second Thursday of each month, 10.30am-12.30pm, at the Styan Community Centre, Grantley Drive, Harrogate, HG3 2XU.