Respiratory Services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Our multi-professional respiratory team provides inpatient and outpatient services for adults with respiratory diseases. We diagnose and treat a range of lung conditions including asthma, tuberculosis (TB), lung cancer, and sleep apnoea.
We provide high-quality respiratory care in line with national guidelines and local needs to ensure positive patient experience and outcomes.
Our services include:
- General respiratory (Inpatient/outpatient)
- Asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Long-term oxygen therapy
- TB
- Pleural interventional services
- Two-week wait respiratory service
- Virtual lung nodule clinic
- Lung cancer services
- Sleep clinic
- Bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
- Lung function tests and Respiratory Lab
- Respiratory diagnostics
- Useful resources / Patient information leaflets
General Respiratory Service (Inpatient/outpatient)
Our inpatient respiratory patients are cared for on Ward 3, on the ground floor.
General respiratory clinics are in Main Outpatients Department in Area D, QEH.
Asthma and COPD
Our asthma team is made of consultants and specialist nurses. Most adult patients who come to hospital with an asthma attack are reviewed by the clinical nurse specialist (CNS).
Our Asthma CNS provides:
- Asthma management plans and education
- Medication advice
- Reviews of patients in the emergency department to enable safe discharge
- Specialist asthma clinics
- Inpatient review and education
- Training for ward nurses
The QEH chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) team of specialist doctors and specialist nurses works closely with local community services in Greenwich and Bexley. Together we provide seamless care for people with COPD, from early disease through to those needing more advanced treatments such as non-invasive ventilation.
Tuberculosis
Our specialist Tuberculosis services extend to Bexley and Greenwich which includes specialist TB nurses who provide treatment, advice and support to people with TB and their contacts. This includes:
- TB contact tracing screening
- BCG vaccination for contacts
- Directly Observed Therapy (DOT)
- Inpatient support
- Nurse-led clinics at various sites
- Pre-test HIV counselling
- Education and awareness raising.
How to access this service
The TB team reviews people with confirmed or suspected TB and their contacts, as well as new immigrants to the UK. You can refer yourself to the service by emailing: oxl-tr.tbservice@nhs.net. Referrals are also accepted from health, housing and social care and welfare professionals.
Pleural interventions
Our specialist consultants and pleural interventional specialist nurses support patients who need pleural biopsies, chest drains and indwelling catheters. As well as supporting inpatients we offer an outpatient clinic in Ward 3’s pleural room. This includes new referrals for pleural effusions and chest drain management from hospital clinicians.
Our inpatient pleural service at QEH provides:
- Portable/bedside pleural ultrasound for diagnosis of pleural effusions (excess fluid in the chest cavity)
- Chest drains for the management of pleural effusions and collapsed lung from a pneumothorax (air in the chest cavity)
- Pleurodesis and indwelling pleural catheters (IPCs) for management of persistent pleural effusions
- Pleural biopsies for the investigation of thickened chest cavity lining
- Intrapleural fibrinolysis (specialist clot busting medicines applied though the chest drain) for pleural infection and recurrent effusions.
Virtual Lung Nodule Clinic
If you have a scan which shows a lung nodule, a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) work together to look after you. The team might include consultant respiratory physicians, a consultant radiologist and a specialist nurse. We follow evidence-based national guidelines to help us to decide what to do next with each sort of nodule, and identify any that might need follow up.
Two week wait lung cancer service
Our specialist consultants and specialist lung cancer nurses work closely with specialists from Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust to diagnose and treat people with lung cancer. We also review inpatients with suspected or confirmed diagnoses of lung cancer.
Our lung cancer nurses, who have expert knowledge and experience in lung cancer, offer adults specialist information, guidance and support throughout all stages of lung cancer. This includes information and advice on diagnosis, treatment options, management of side effects and follow-up care. They can also arrange additional support from other services such as palliative care and psychological support.
Patients can be referred by:
- A GP where an assessment raises any suspicion of lung cancer
- Our radiology department following an abnormal finding on a chest X-ray or CT scan
- A hospital doctor where an assessment, chest X-ray or scan raises any suspicion of lung cancer.
Macmillan Advice and Guidance Service (MAGS)
All patients having cancer tests, treatment or care are welcome to seek support from our specialist cancer support service:
Call the MAGS helpline on 020 8333 3336, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Or email the MAGS team on: lg.mags@nhs.net
Sleep Clinic
At our weekly sleep disorders clinic we see patients with sleep apnoea as well as patients who may need non-invasive ventilation. For further details, please see: Respiratory Lab and Sleep Unit at QEH.
Bronchoscopic procedures
During a bronchoscopy a doctor inserts a thin flexible tube containing a tiny camera into your mouth to see detailed images of the windpipe, bronchi and lungs. We can take small tissue samples (a biopsy) to investigate for cancer, inflammatory conditions and infections.
Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) is a type of bronchoscopy (camera test) to examine the lungs. It allows the doctor to see the lymph nodes (glands) in the centre of the chest using a special scanner on the end of a miniature camera. During the test we can take tiny samples from the lymph nodes and send them to the laboratory to look for any abnormalities.
Contact numbers
Respiratory secretaries 020 8836 4093 / 020 8836 4095·
Lung nodule administrator 020 8836 4639
Pleural administrator 020 8836 6026
Respiratory Lab 020 8836 5257
Tuberculosis service 020 8836 4815
MAGS helpline 020 8333 3336 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
MAGS email: lg.mags@nhs.net
Respiratory Service Manager via switchboard 020 8836 6000
Endoscopy Unit 020 8836 4150 or 020 8836 4141