Respiratory disease: how collaboration can make a crucial difference

Experts argue that with appropriate training, non-specialists in all fields of nursing can help improve diagnosis, treatment and access to specialist care for patients with respiratory disease

• The two most common lung diseases account for 175,000 hospital admissions a year in the UK
• Failures to identify risk mean many asthma deaths are deemed preventable
• Efforts are being made to improve care, but patients have complex needs
• Cuts in CPD budgets are making it more difficult for non-specialist nurses to access training

Respiratory disease is one of the top five causes of premature death in the UK, and official scrutiny in recent years has revealed that care is falling below required standards.

But the RCN and other experts say that, given