Understanding COPD

1. Understanding COPD During your visits at home by the ICOPD team we will consider what can be done to improve your health and try to prevent more flare ups in the future. This might include advice on dietary changes, quitting smoking and information about COPD. We may also advise that you increase your exercise levels and refer you onto one of our exercise programmes. Understanding your condition helps you to recognise when things are not going right and enables you to change your treatment at an early stage to try to stop your condition getting worse. We will provide you with an action plan of what to do if your COPD deteriorates in the future. Contact Numbers: Between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday please contact the ICOPD Team on: 07535 977269 Please tell them you are under the Early Supported Discharge Scheme. Outside of Hours: Please contact the Rapid Intervention Team on 0845 6024064 Please tell them you are under the Early Supported Discharge Scheme. A member of their team will advise you on the appropriate course of action required. Early Supported Discharge Scheme for patients with COPD following a flare up (exacerbation) Patient Information Leaflet Integrated COPD Team

2. Early Supported Discharge for COPD following a flare up Why do I need to be seen by this team? You may have had a flare up, or an exacerbation, of your chest condition Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which required admission to hospital. Whilst you have been in the hospital the doctors and the respiratory nurses have seen you to decide when you can go home. The medication you may need to take home could be medicines that you inhale or steroid and antibiotic tablets. You may also need oxygen if your blood level is low. This will all be put in place before you go home. Supported Discharge: It has been proven that people with COPD can often be managed safely in their own home away from the hospital. Arrangements for your discharge will be made and you will receive a telephone call or a home visit within 24 hours by a member of ICOPD team who will supervise your treatment at home. They will continue to contact you regularly until you have recovered from your flare up. During the visits your treatment will be changed as necessary and other members of the team will see you if you have problems they can help with. Treatment following a flare up: Most people who require oxygen or nebuliser treatment during a flare up can go back onto inhaler treatment and may not require oxygen after the flare up has settled. If you need a nebuliser at home we will loan you a machine but this will need to be returned once you have recovered from your flare up and you can manage your normal medication. A small number of people may require long term nebuliser treatment. In these circumstances we would encourage you to purchase your own machine.