The North Bristol NHS Trust Lung Centre, at Southmead Hospital Bristol, consists of:
- Acute Lung Unit at Bed 33-64, Level 4, Gate 27, Brunel building, Southmead Hospital
- Respiratory Outpatient Service based at the Seated Assessment, Level 0, Gate 35, Brunel building, Southmead Hospital
- Respiratory Academic Unit based at the University of Bristol
- Respiratory Physiology at Gate 12, Level 1, Brunel building at Southmead Hospital
We work closely Learning & Research at Southmead Hospital Bristol, allowing sub-specialisation and joint research and teaching programmes.
We provide support to the onsite regional specialist units in Renal Medicine, HIV Medicine, Rheumatology and Immunology.
The Outpatient Department currently runs 16 clinics a week. These consist of nine general respiratory clinics, a specialist alveolitis clinic, an oncology clinic and a thoracic surgery clinic. Day Case procedures are carried out here including long term oxygen therapy (LTOT) assessments; recovery from CT guided lung biopsy procedures and daily intravenous drug therapies.
There is a respiratory "Hot" clinic which runs Monday to Friday. Through this clinic, GPs can refer patients for an emergency appointment and they will be seen by a Consultant that day. The aim of this for the patient is to receive acute medical care and, if appropriate, to avoid hospital admission.
The Early Supportive Discharge Team (ESD) (previously known as ARAS) consists of six specialist nurses and a physiotherapist with expertise in respiratory disease. This service aims to reduce the length of time patients with chronic lung disease have to stay in hospital. A member of the ESD team will assess the patient whilst they are an inpatient and if appropriate they will be discharged home for treatment rather than staying in hospital.
The Respiratory Physiology offers the full range of diagnostic tests.
The Respiratory Academic Unit is part of the University of Bristol’s Clinical Science at North Bristol and is linked very closely to the North Bristol Lung Centre. Prof Ann Miller and Dr Nick Maskell undertake research into inflammatory lung disease and pleural disease.
The Clinical Trials Unit is involved in studying a variety of new drugs in different respiratory conditions.