Respiratory Medicine and Lung Cancer - Fairfield Hospital [Bury], Rochdale Infirmary

The Respiratory Directorate provides specialist services from our hospital sites and community settings for the people in the North East sector of Greater Manchester. It is a well-developed service with an excellent reputation led by a dynamic team. Inpatient Respiratory Services are provided new Acute Respiratory Care Unit at Fairfield incorporating a Respiratory enhanced care model providing CPAP and NIV.

Our sector is one of the largest lung cancer services in the country with over 650 patients diagnosed a year and around 1,700 annual GP referrals to our Two Week Wait lung cancer clinics. The organisation aims to deliver the Optimal Greater Manchester Lung Cancer Pathway and diagnostic algorithms.

An enhanced triage and virtual clinic system is employed to manage referrals with the support of Lung Cancer Navigators and Pathway Support Nurses. We aim to offer CT and first appointment for the highest risk category patients within 3 days of referral and within 7 days for lower risk patients. The service provides new and follow-up lung cancer and Clinical Oncology clinics at Fairfield together with bronchoscopy and EBUS lists at North Manchester and Fairfield General Hospital.

There is good access to CT-guided biopsy, interventional Radiology and thoracoscopy (medical thoracoscopy lists are held at North Manchester General and Salford Royal Hospitals). PET scanning is delivered at Manchester Royal Infirmary, the Christie hospital in Manchester and Wigan Infirmary. It is expected that the next site for PET expansion will be at Oldham. Medical Oncology clinics are held within the sector and at Manchester Christie hospital.

Lung cancer nurse specialists support the lung cancer service through nurse-led follow up of radically treated patients and a pulmonary nodule follow up service. Assistant Practitioners perform electronic Health Needs Assessments of lung cancer patients, shuttle walk tests and pre-habilitation clinics on the Fairfield and Oldham sites.

Each acute site has a weekly diagnostic lung MDT. A well-established weekly Trust-wide lung MDT meeting is attended by Thoracic Surgery, Medical and Clinical Oncology, Radiology and Histopathology consultants. Thoracic surgery and airways management are delivered at Wythenshawe Hospital in South Manchester. Our ‘Christie Hospital at Oldham’ has allowed patients to receive cancer care including radiotherapy nearer to home.