Publish date: 18 September 2023
Liverpool Community Respiratory Team (LCRT) has evolved our service to offer access to the Liverpool Acute Respiratory Virtual Ward (ARVW) to patients with a Liverpool GP. This is made possible by LCRT collaborating with Mersey Care, LHCH, Docobo, Liverpool Place and Cheshire and Merseyside NHS.
Clinicians (Dr’s or Band 6 nurse Practitioners and above) may refer any patient with an acute exacerbation of C.O.P.D. or obstructive Bronchiectasis that do not require IV antibiotics, and who are at risk of hospital admission, to ARVW via UCD on 0300-3230240.
Inclusion criteria-
- Does the patient have a confirmed diagnosis of COPD/Obstructive Bronchiectasis?
- Has the patient been assessed in the last 4 hours as having an acute exacerbation at risk of hospital admission?
- Is the patient medically stable and able to wait for up to two hrs for the nurse to attend?
Exclusion criteria
Are you aware that the patient has any of the following?
- New arrhythmia, heart rate below 60 or above 120 beats per minute
- Systolic blood pressure less than 100mmHG
- Respiratory rate greater than 30 respirations per minute
- New chest pain
- New peripheral oedema
- New haemoptysis
- New confusion or impaired conscious level?
- Oxygen levels below 85% (if able to be measured).
This allows us to offer a robust, digitally integrated clinical care model that will enhance the high quality service LCRT already provide.
The plan is to move to use this model to care for other respiratory conditions in the next 12 to 18 months. We will send more communications when these are in place.
For any queries about chronic COPD management, inhaler advice etc call our clinician phone line 0151 529 3309. This is monitored 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Please note that referrals will not be accepted via this line.
For further information, contact Paul Tinnion, Clinical Team Leader, via email Paul