Respiratory service withdrawal sparks anger

Councillor Jean Ashworth

The Acute Respiratory Assessment Service (ARAS) delivered in Rochdale is going to be withdrawn and replaced with a new model next month, after a panel found it was not ‘achieving the necessary health outcomes.’

ARAS is a team of nurses who specialise in chronic chest disease. They see patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) and their aim is to improve the patients’ quality of life by caring for them at home, instead of in hospital.

361 patients in Rochdale have access to ARAS, but NHS Heywood Middleton and Rochdale say that the number of patients actively using the service “has been minimal.”

Councillor Jean Ashworth, has described the move as “very worrying” and said it makes her “so angry.”

She said: “I have been out and about talking to people and over the past two days I have spoken to six people who use this but if I sit down and think about it I know there would be many more – these are frightening figures. This is going to have a massive impact.

“Lets face it, COPD is on the rise. How can they say it is under used? If anything it is overused and they shouldn’t be reducing, they should be recruiting.

“The people I have spoken to completely rely on the ARAS team and it is the only way these people can stay out of hospital.

“GPs cannot cope with this; GPs rely on the ARAS team to keep vulnerable patients out of hospital.”

Councillor Ashworth disputed the figure of 361 and said she believes many more people use the service. She also questioned why Manchester is continuing to fund the service but Rochdale isn’t.

NHS HMR says it regularly reviews the services it commissions to ensure funds are “utilised as efficiently and effectively as is possible”

A spokesperson for NHS HMR, said: “Services are reviewed through a robust evaluation process which includes GP clinicians and patient representation, who form the Service Review Panel. This is multidisciplinary and therefore the views of a broad range of experts are taken into consideration during the decision making process.

“The Acute Respiratory Assessment Service delivered by Pennine Acute Hospital Trust (PAHT) was evaluated by the Panel, and deemed not to be achieving the necessary health outcomes. Therefore it was agreed to change the current service model and utilise the funding for a new community service in order to improve patient health outcomes.

“Consequently, from the 18 April 2012 all patients who are currently supported by the ARAS team will receive ongoing management and support for their condition by a range of healthcare professionals within the community including their GP, Community Matrons and respiratory specialist professionals either in their own home or in community location depending on their individual needs.”

Patients and their GPs will be notified by letter about changes to the service and details of the transition of their care to the new service.

The changes will be monitored and regular updates on the new service will be made to NHS HMR Clinical Commissioning Committee.