Help us make the difference between life and death.
The British Lung Foundation has a range of innovative projects that require funding. For example:
The issue
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a debilitating lung condition, a major cause of death. The chief medical officer estimates that it affects three million people in the UK.
COPD is a term that covers a number of individual lung diseases; including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. People with lung problems can feel isolated from the outside world. They are often house bound, unable to communicate and have no one to talk to. Basic tasks like washing can become exhausting. Many people avoid exertion and even going outdoors in case they suddenly get worse.
Of the 3 million people in the UK with COPD, only 900,000 are diagnosed. So there are 2.1 million missing people, undiagnosed with COPD.
The project
One of the gaps in care for people with lung disease is specialist nurses for severe COPD. If you have heart disease or cancer, you get a nurse. If you have COPD, you don’t.
To fill this gap, BLF is establishing a UK-wide network of BLF Nurses. In a pilot study, 99% of patients were happy with the service of the BLF nurse and 89% of people with lung disease felt more relaxed being treated in a home environment.
People are isolated. The BLF nurse is sometimes the only provider of one-on-one support that someone with COPD will see regularly. They check medication, give advice or just talk and listen.
Primary Care Organisations (PCO’s) that provide community health care will take on the costs for the nurses. This will give people with lung disease the same access to support and help as people with other diseases.
Your support
BLF needs support to develop our nurse network. We would welcome the opportunity to work with you to:
- highlight the issues around lung health to your staff
- host awareness events and opportunities to meet people with a lung disease, to give a real sense of the difference you are making
- explain the need for BLF nurses, and demonstrate the impact they have
Please see below for other ways your company can support our work.
