Respiratory (Breathing)

Respiratory provides comprehensive care for patients with respiratory disorders. This is provided through the Somerset lung centre and respiratory ward, Coleridge in Taunton and Yeovil Hospital.

Diagnostic services are provided through our dedicated lung function department.

Investigations

Our service carries out the following investigations:

• Bronchoscopy
• Thoracoscopy
• Multi-channel sleep studies
• Home ventilation and nasal CPAP service
• Exercise testing
• Lung function testing including bronchial reactivity studies
• Skin tests
• Reversibility studies
• Nebulised therapy trials nebuliser servicing for existing patients under a respiratory consultant
• Flight assessments for oxygen
• Exhaled nitric oxide testing
• Overnight sleep studies

Clinics

We run clinics in the following locations:

Taunton

Monday to Thursday

Complex Thoracic

4th Thursday of every month and Friday mornings.

There are also quarterly respiratory/rheumatology clinics.

Bridgwater

Tuesday afternoons

Wednesday afternoons

Chard

Alternate Tuesdays

Minehead

Tuesday afternoons every 2^nd  and 4^th  week of the month.

Wellington

Tuesday afternoons

West Mendip

Tuesday afternoons, every 1^st and 3^rd week of the month.

Yeovil and Musgrove Park hospital based treatment

• Home intravenous antibiotic therapy
• THREADS (Taunton Hospital Early Assisted Discharge Scheme)
• Macmillan nurse specialist
• Respiratory nurse specialists

Patient information

Standards of quality

Routine waiting times for outpatient appointments and lung function procedures are less than 10 weeks. Urgent appointments are usually within 2 weeks.