A NEW team is working to improve care for people who suffer from one of East Lancashire's biggest health problems -- chest diseases.

The Home Care team at Blackburn Royal Infirmary helps speed up discharge times for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Instead of spending up to two weeks in hospital, the patient is stabilised quickly by the team of four nurses and two physiotherapists and who then provide home support, giving care and education to the patient and their family.

The scheme, which covers people in Blackburn with Darwen and is the only one of its kind in Lancashire, costs £164,000 to run and is funded by local primary care trusts.

Its aim is to increase patient satisfaction by reducing the length of stay in hospital and to free bed space for other patients.

And one patient with chronic chest problems has given the thumbs-up to the new method of treatment after it slashed the amount of time she was in hospital.

COPD sufferer Kathleen Donnelly was admitted to Blackburn Royal Infirmary's with a chest infection which needs usually requires up to a two-week stay.

But thanks to a new Home Care team, she was back at home in Wensley Road, Blackburn, within three days with a nurse and physiotherapist to look after her.

Kathleen said: "It's such a wonderful new service I just wanted to let other people out there, who suffer from COPD, know about it.

"I was only in hospital two and half days and then back at home with a nurse looking after me and a physio visiting -- all the things you would normally get in hospital but at home."

Matron in charge of the team, Lesley Gaw, said: "COPD is the biggest need for admission in the Blackburn area.

"Somebody suffering from COPD will have frequent relapses where they can get breathless, some can even be admitted once a month or at the very least once or twice a year.

"The team will see them shortly after admission and arrange for their discharge within a few days. Then we provide exactly the same care they would receive in hospital but at home. The nurses will be in touch by phone a few times a day and visit them according to their needs."

Since the scheme was set up in October 2002, 70 patients have been treated by the team, with the average time spent in hospital around four or five days, compared to between 10 and 15 before.

Lesley said: "It's been a real success and places such as Birmingham are looking at our scheme and hoping to set one up. The only other place I know which has a similar scheme is Whiston in Merseyside and they are specialists in respiratory care -- we're rather a smaller fish."