Contents:
Document Title
Managing chronic breathlessness
Document Date
March 2024
Document Purpose and Intended Audience
To support specialist palliative care clinicians in hospices, hospital trusts and in the community to manage chronic breathlessness.
Author
Dr Helen Ward
Respiratory & Acute Medicine Consultant
The Royal Wolverhampton Trust
Contributors
Dr Jane Reynolds
Consultant in Palliative Medicines, Dudley
Dr Anna Lock
Palliative Medicine Consultant, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
Dr Esther Waterhouse
Consultant in Palliative Medicines, Walsall
Dr Fran Hakkak
Consultant Palliative Care & Medical Director Compton Care
Dr Shahid Nadeem
Respiratory Consultant, Walsall
Dr Philip Brammer
Respiratory Consultant, Clinical Lead for Dudley Respiratory Assessment Team
Joanne Hamilton
Respiratory Nurse Specialist
Elaine Cook
Independent Nurse Specialist, Respiratory PCCLE Black Country ICB
Mandy Hamilton
Respiratory Facilitator/Co-Ordinator
Kelly Redden-Rowley
Community Cardio-Respiratory Clinical Lead, Sandwell
Jaqui Elson-Whittaker
Clinical Lead Nurse, Dudley Heart Failure Team
Russell Tipson
Director of Action Heart Sara Morley Services Manager Palliative and End of Life Care/Clinical Lead Specialist Palliative Care Therapies Team
Emma Hayward
Specialist Physiotherapist in Palliative Care Sharon Wood ICP Commissioning Manager
Claire Morrissey
Community Digital Health Programme Lead, Black Country ICB
Consultation Process
Circulated to SPAGG group for comments and approval
Monitoring
This guideline will be audited by members of the group every 3 years.
Review Date
(must be within three years)
March 2027
Approval Signatures:
SPAGG chair
Dr Jon Tomas
SPAGG secretary
Dr Alice Gray
Date Approved by SPAGG: March 2018??
Date submitted to Area Prescribing Committee: N/A
Version History
Version 2
Date
January 2023
Summary of change/ process
Spelling correction and addition of sodium chloride wording
Version 3
Date
December 2023
Summary of change/ process
Editing of relevant services contact information
Version 4
Date
March 2024
Summary of change/ process
Editing of relevant services contact information
Disclaimer
These Guidelines are intended for use by healthcare professionals and the expectation is that they will use clinical judgement, medical, and nursing knowledge in applying the general principles and recommendations contained within. They are not meant to replace the many available texts on the subject of palliative care.
Some of the management strategies describe the use of drugs outside their licensed indications. They are, however, established and accepted good practice. Please refer to the current BNF for further guidance.
Whilst SPAGG takes every care to compile accurate information , we cannot guarantee its correctness and completeness, and it is subject to change. We do not accept responsibility for any loss, damage or expense resulting from the use of this information.