Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) to fund specialist community respiratory nurse for NHS Highand
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Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) is giving £53,000 to fund the post to alleviate pressure on NHS Highland and improve lung disease care.
It is part of a £300,000 funding package announced by the charity to support partnership projects in four health boards.
The investment will fund new roles to work with the NHS to better co-ordinate efforts to keep people happy and healthy at home and reduce NHS pressures through its Hospital to Home services.
The specialist nurse in NHS Highland will work within the existing teams to support respiratory nursing care and reduce unscheduled care.
Dr Lorna Murray, consultant respiratory physician at NHS Highland, said they were delighted to be working with CHSS.
“Collaboration with third sector services is a crucial way to develop respiratory care in Highland and support more people living with chest conditions in our communities,” she said.
“The new role will help to improve responsive respiratory nursing care and reduce unscheduled care by supporting people and their families to self-manage their conditions.”
The nurse will also work closely with other service providers such as CHSS, Highland Hospice, the Let’s Get On With It Together (LGOWIT) project and Befriending.
The role includes helping people to engage with digital resources such as home health monitoring to support self-management plus working with primary care and Scottish Ambulance Service to identify patients at risk of unscheduled care.
CHSS has granted £150,000 to NHS Grampian and £50,000 each to NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Jane-Claire Judson, CHSS chief executive, said respiratory services had been seriously impacted by the pandemic and were under extreme pressure.
“We’re delighted to deepen our partnerships with some of the biggest health boards in the country to improve care and reduce pressures on our NHS,” she said.
