A cutting edge North East Lincolnshire health project which has already won one prestigious national award has now been short listed for no less than three others.

The Hope Street Specialist Service - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Falls - has won the British Thoracic Society Silver Jubilee Award for Innovation in Patient Involvement in recognition of the fantastic work it is doing in the region to provide a groundbreaking and patient-centred service in offered support to those with long-term respiratory conditions and/or at risk of falls. It has now been short listed for two Health Service Journal awards in the Implementing NICE Guidance and Primary Care Innovation categories and is a finalist in the National Institute for Clinical Excellence – Shared Learning award.

There are strong links between falls and COPD, as both can lead to, for example, deterioration in health due to increasing inactivity, social isolation and osteoporosis. Consequently, the North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus Falls and COPD Services were merged to form the Hope Street Specialist Service earlier this year.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which includes diseases such as Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema, is one of the top five causes of death in North East Lincolnshire, while more than half the population over 65 may suffer a fall every year. There are typically 9000 falls each year in North East Lincolnshire, which will result in 600 fractures, including 100 hip fractures.

The Hope Street Specialist Service offers COPD sufferers an eight week rehabilitation programme, as well as a range of services to help them self-manage their condition through education and exercise. They have also implemented the ‘Buddy system’, which pairs sufferers with former service users, who act as expert patients to provide additional support and encouragement.

The Service also provides a specialist falls clinic and falls rehabilitation, as well as weekly Tai Chi and chair-based exercise sessions in the local community. The Falls Prevention Collaborative, a group of local volunteers, hold health promotion events in group dwellings, surgeries, residential and nursing homes and are working closely with the Highways Department to make both the roads and pavements safer for local people.

COPD Clinical Co-ordinator Pam Hancock is delighted by the nominations, “the fact that the project has been short listed for three national awards is a testament to the effort put in by our staff and volunteers and the level of care provided to both COPD sufferers and people at risk of falls in North East Lincolnshire. 

“We are leading the way nationally in North East Lincolnshire in terms of how service’s should be designed and delivered,” Pam continued.

Falls Co-ordinator Kylie Farbrace added, “It’s a tremendous achievement and highlights just how far the Hope Street Specialist Service has come in a relatively short space of time.”