A new respiratory pulmonary function testing lab was opened in the integrated care hub in Bray, Co Wicklow recently.

The hub in Bray was the first of its kind to be opened in 2022. It delivers a range of chronic disease and older persons services in the community under the HSE’s Enhanced Community Care Programme – a Sláintecare initiative intended to reduce dependence on a hospital-central model of care.

The new lab in Bray aims to further integrate hospital and community respiratory care in order to provide patients in Wicklow with advanced diagnostics and streamlined healthcare pathways.

Under this new service, GPs in the area can refer patients directly for pulmonary testing in the community, which could reduce waiting lists for respiratory consultants in hospitals and allow patients to be tested earlier and closer to home. 

The local respiratory team collaborated with colleagues in St Vincent’s University Hospital to establish a network link between St Vincent's, St Michael's Hospital in Dún Laoghaire and the care hub’s IT systems.

This means that results from the lab in Bray can be accessed remotely by hospital consultants who review the test findings and provide a comprehensive report to the GP. Onward referrals to members of the respiratory integrated care team can then also be arranged, if required. 

The service first commenced in June 2023 in St Vincent's and St Michael’s and has been in operation in Bray since January. To date, 333 patients have been assessed; 32% were referred for testing and haven’t required further input by the clinical team, while 37% of patients were referred to a respiratory clinical nurse specialist in the community.

This means that 69% did not require referral to a respiratory consultant, assuring consultant capacity and hospital waiting lists are optimised.