UHNM top of national table for cystic fibrosis home care

Children receiving treatment for cystic fibrosis at UHNM are spending the least amount of time in hospital anywhere in the country, new figures have shown.

Data from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust rank the North West Midlands Cystic Fibrosis Centre based at Royal Stoke as first in the country for the delivery of home antibiotics in children.

The Trust’s annual report also places UHNM third highest for home delivery of intravenous antibiotics in adults.

Advances in technology and the work of the cystic fibrosis teams and UHNM colleagues to reduce the amount of time spent in hospital has not only improved the experience of those living with cystic fibrosis, but freed up beds for other patients.

Dr Francis Gilchrist, Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician said: “We’re thrilled with the figures from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the culmination of years of effort from the whole Cystic Fibrosis team and colleagues in Pharmacy. Individuals with Cystic Fibrosis have historically required regular treatment with IV antibiotics, requiring considerable amounts of time spent in hospital, time lost not spent at school or work.

“We recognised these challenges and over the past decade have worked hard alongside families and young people with Cystic Fibrosis, empowering them to reduce the amount of time spent in hospital.”

Figures show almost 30% of child Cystic Fibrosis patients at UHNM have at least one day of IV treatment compared to the national average of 5.9%, whilst 20% of adults received treatment at home, above the national average of 13.6.

Erin Hodgetts, Cystic Fibrosis Operational Services Manager and UK Cystic Fibrosis Registry Administration representative said: “The cystic fibrosis registry data is collected every time a patient has any encounter with member of staff from our network, be that an inpatient stay, outpatient appointment or receiving antibiotics. At the end of each year every patient has an annual review that collates everything about them and that data gets put into the registry. There’s a lot of hard work that gets put into the registry having a positive impact on national and international research projects, all feeding to improving patient care."