Patients in Greater Manchester who have received comprehensive lung health reviews for their Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are experiencing better health outcomes, after being referred to treatment plans to help ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment of their condition.

Health Innovation Manchester and pharmaceutical industry company GSK have collaborated on a Joint-Working project, to optimise the care for people living with COPD in Greater Manchester. The project has helped to identify patients that may benefit from a review of their lung health and gain additional support in guiding their treatment and management of their COPD.

Patients have been reviewed at 48 pilot General Practice (GP) practices across Greater Manchester, with the help of the LungHealth software – an optimised, consistent and algorithm-guided consultation, in line with NICE guidelines that is used to deliver both remote and face-to-face patient reviews.

The LungHealth software has ensured consistency and accuracy in the reviews of COPD patients across the GP practices, with adherence to The Greater Manchester Medicines Management Group (GMMMG) COPD Management Plan which emphasised the use of Dry Powder Inhalers (DPI) wherever possible to avoid the environmental impact of Metered-Dose Inhalers (MDI).

The Impact: what this means for patients

In summary, the 48 GP practices that utilised the LungHealth software saw improved outcomes for patients with COPD. The benefits for these patients included an increase in referrals to appropriate and optimised treatment plans, and a considerable reduction in the carbon footprint of patients through the changes to inhaler prescriptions.

From December 2022 through to November 2023 a total of 1,928 patients were reviewed, with 1,260 (65.4%) being reviewed face-to-face at the GP practice and 668 (34.6%) via video or telephone call. Outcomes for patients who were reviewed face-to-face at a GP practice saw greater improvements to their COPD and overall lung health in comparison to patients who opted for reviews that were conducted remotely.

Of all the patients who were reviewed using the LungHealth software only 6% required a referral to secondary care, which suggests that their COPD could be managed and treated either at their GP practice or in another primary care setting if supported effectively with an appropriate treatment plan.

Over 2,800 referrals were made to appropriate treatment plans including spirometry, smoking cessation treatment, pulmonary rehabilitation, or for further treatment at a secondary care organisation.

Another key benefit of the LungHealth software is the adherence to local guidelines set by The Greater Manchester Medicines Management Group (GMMMG) COPD Management Plan in recommending a transition from MDI to DPI inhalers, to reduce the carbon footprint impact of inhalers.

Overall, 794 (43.2%) patients saw a reduction in their carbon footprint following their LungHealth review after being either referred to appropriate treatment or by switching their inhaler. These patients account for a reduction of 56,178.3 tonnes of CO2e, an 80% reduction from their pre-review carbon footprint.

Cath Barrow, Senior Programme Development Lead at Health Innovation Manchester said: “By utilising the latest technology to support patients across Greater Manchester we are reaffirming that collaboration with industry is vital if we want to continue to provide the right care for our citizens across the region. Through our work with GSK, NSHI Ltd and LungHealth we’ve improved care for thousands of patients, helping to create a sustainable pathway for COPD treatment that meets national and local guidelines.