COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – can be a very distressing condition for patients; care costs the NHS around £2 billion a year and yet services can vary enormously across the country and between practices. Earlier this year, ESyDoc completed its re-design project with its partner, AstraZeneca UK Ltd, and a local fully-integrated service now offers seamless care to all patients in East Surrey.
This autumn, ESyDoc was delighted to have its project shortlisted for the NAPC (National Association of Primary Care) Vision Award for Best Respiratory Initiative. The Award winners were announced at the NAPC Conference in November and ESyDoc was joint runner up to Dudley Health's local enhanced service for COPD.
Although ESyDoc's project was not the winner, Andrew Lansley mentioned the good work being carried out in East Surrey in his address to the Conference the following day. Mr Lansley's comments were similar to those he gave in another speech in September when he said, "And in East Surrey, the ESyDoc Pathfinder CCG is working with AstraZeneca and the acute Trust to improve the whole asthma pathway and reduce admissions.
This is exactly the sort of action I want to see across the country."
The success of the project has been sustained and patients continue to benefit from more responsive care. Joe McGilligan, Chairman of ESyDoc, has said publically that he is incredibly proud of the work which Dr Elango Vijaykumar led on behalf of the ESyDoc Board on improving the care of patients with COPD and congratulated him and the rest of the project team on being nominated for the Award.
The achievement has lead ESyDoc to start work to transform Asthma care in the community; this is in partnership with AstraZeneca, the National Lung Improvement team and Secondary Care colleagues. ESyDoc is also working on other service areas to improve care for East Surrey patients including diabetes and heart failure.
