Wythenshawe Hospital To Provide National Service For Chronic Pulmonary Aspergill

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Wythenshawe Hospital To Provide National Service For Chronic

Pulmonary Aspergillosis, UK

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma

Article Date: 05 Nov 2008 - 8:00 PST

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/128293.php

The Department of Health has announced that from April 2009 national

funding will be provided for a 'National Aspergillosis Centre' at

Wythenshawe Hospital in South Manchester. It will be the first

national centre for aspergillosis in the world, and will form part

of Wythenshawe Hospital's NorthWest Lung Centre, which has a long

history and international reputation for treating lung disorders.

The designation of a nationally commissioned service will end any

postcode lottery for patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis

(CPA) - an incurable fungal disease of the lung. It is estimated

that there are 500 - 750 cases of CPA in England, and that the new

National Centre will provide access to specialised services in an

area of high unmet patient need.

From 1st April 2009, around £4m in funding will be available from

the National Commissioning Group for Highly Specialised Services for

the CPA service at Wythenshawe Hospital, which already offers

inpatient services and the UK's only outpatient clinic for patients

with fungal lung infections. It is expected that over the next 5

years, the funding will rise to around £10m per year in line with an

anticipated tripling of the number of patients treated for CPA.

Antifungal drugs are very costly and patients need long term

treatment.

Aspergillosis is a fungal infection that mainly affects the lungs.

Whilst most people are immune to the fungal spores, patients with

reduced or no immunity such as those with sarcoidiosis, Cystic

Fibrosis, asthma, TB or after cure of lung cancer are particularly

susceptible to developing CPA. Most CPA patients require long-term

oral antifungal therapy and some complex surgery, but antifungal

drug resistance is an increasing problem, requiring long term

intravenous therapy.

The National Aspergillosis Centre will provide patients from across

the country with access to a team of specialist staff including two

consultants (Professor Denning and Dr Hope), specialists nurses,

surgeons, radiologists, clinical research fellows and the Regional

Mycology Laboratory, already situated at Wythenshawe Hospital.

Clinical research on these uncommon disorders will be a major focus

of the work, already underwritten by the recent NIHR Translational

Research Centre in Lung Disease being co-located at Wythenshawe.

This development will deliver a better quality of care for patients

with aspergillosis and should help to reduce mortality rates.

Professor Denning, Clinical Director of the new National

Aspergillosis Centre, says: " We're delighted that the Department of

Health will be funding a National Aspergillosis Centre here in South

Manchester, which is an area with high rates of respiratory disease.

This national service will benefit patients across the UK, by

building on the extensive expertise in chronic fungal lung

infections and sophisticated laboratory support and allowing us to

invest further in our clinical and research capabilities. "

About University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust

(UHSM)

UHSM is a major acute teaching hospital trust providing services for

adults and children at Wythenshawe Hospital and Withington Community

Hospital (the latter owned by Manchester PCT). We are recognised as

a centre of clinical excellence, demonstrated by our mortality

rates, which are among the lowest in the UK. We provide district

general hospital services and specialist tertiary services to our

local community. Our fields of specialist expertise include

cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, heart and lung

transplantation, respiratory conditions, burns and plastics, cancer

and breast care services. http://www.uhsm.nhs.uk

About the NW Lung Centre and CPA service at Wythenshawe Hospital

The NW Lung Centre has 70 inpatient beds, with dedicated outpatient

and diagnostic facilities. There are 18 consultants with specialties

in allergy, asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, sleep disorders, non-

invasive ventilation, interstitial lung disease, lung infection,

lung transplantation and lung cancer. Professor Denning and Dr Hope

provide a clinical and academic CPA service, which is augmented by

three thoracic surgeons, three consultant radiologists specialising

in pulmonary radiology, and the Regional Mycology Laboratory (RMLM).

The CPA service already runs the Aspergillus Website, directly

supported by the Fungal Research Trust (a registered charity) which

has supported the development of centre of excellence in fungal

disease in Manchester since 1991. http://www.aspergillus.org.uk

About the National Commissioning Group for Highly Specialised

Services

The National Commissioning Group (NCG) commission medical services

for a specific group of patients with extremely rare conditions or

which require very unusual or costly treatments. In addition, the

NCG advise Ministers on which NHS services are best commissioned

nationally rather than locally, to ensure a high quality of clinical

care and equity of access for patients, as well as securing value

for money.

University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust