One Gloucestershire Integrated Care System’s Respiratory Clinical Programme Group (CPG) has been singled out as a great example of integrated working, as it scooped a major national award.
Made up of consultants, GPs, nurses, therapists and a range of supporting colleagues as well as patients with lived experience, the team is focused on supporting those with respiratory conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder) and asthma to manage their health, reducing the number of smokers in the county and helping to prevent urgent admissions to the county’s main hospitals.
With projects including asthma training in schools, community choirs to improve lung capacity and a personalised approach to patient care across primary (GP) care, community and hospital services, the CPG team has been recognised as a success story for joint working between health and care partners, winning the Integrated Care Initiative of the Year category at the 2024 Health Service Journal Awards.
Judges praised the innovative approach, the team’s dedication to an active community programme and singled out the culture of learning and tailored interventions which help meet the needs of Gloucestershire’s unique population.
Dr Graham Mennie, GP and clinical lead for respiratory said:
“This award recognises the hard work and passion of our team and the benefits of joint working. It is a win for the whole team – including our colleagues from across health, social care, education and further afield.
“Working together as a system isn’t something new, we’ve been doing this for more than a decade, and we know it is the best approach for people in Gloucestershire living with respiratory conditions.”
Helping people manage respiratory conditions at home, join in with sport and take simple steps to improve their health by moving more and stopping smoking can make a real impact. We look at our population and their needs and target our resources accordingly to make sure patients receive high quality and equitable support and care.”
With more than 60,000 people in Gloucestershire known to be living with COPD or asthma, the team works closely with colleagues across health and care, as well as with other voluntary, community and charitable organisations.
Carol Stonham, Senior Nurse Practitioner and lead for the Children and Young People’s Asthma work at NHS Gloucestershire, said:
“We are proud to have been able to showcase the work of our entire team, including those in the community and voluntary sector, at a national level.
“We know we still have work to do and will continue with projects like Asthma friendly schools, community focused smoking cessation and educating our Gloucestershire community about the importance of lung health.”
Dr Charlie Sharp, consultant in respiratory medicine at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
“Respiratory conditions can have a significant impact on people’s lives but in Gloucestershire we are working hard to make life easier and to prevent people falling ill in the first place. Our amazing team thoroughly deserve this award, together we are stronger and we know our integrated approach is making a big difference to lives in the county.”
Congratulations also to Kev Gannaway-Pitts who was shortlisted in the Military and Civilian Health Partnership category for his work for Gloucestershire Armed Forces Veterans and to the MSK Therapy Outpatient service from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation which was also shortlisted for the Performance Recovery award.