Respiratory Psychology
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1. About us
The Respiratory Psychology Service provides support for adults (18 years old and older) with a long-term respiratory condition, who are under the care of the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust Respiratory team.
Our service offers specialist psychological and emotional support to individuals, focussed on the links between physical and emotional health.
We also offer support for asthma patients who are 16 years old or older and are moving from paediatric to adult respiratory services.
We work closely with the rest of the Respiratory Multi-Disciplinary Team, and offer input on the respiratory wards and run outpatient clinics.
What We Can Help With
Examples include:
- Anxiety, worry or panic attacks that is impacting on your breathing condition (e.g. increased breathlessness) and/or your treatment (e.g. needle phobia, physiotherapy).
- Low mood or feeling upset.
- Adjusting to and coping with uncertainty, change and loss e.g. self-esteem, independence.
- Coping with fatigue and breathlessness
- Difficulties in relationships due to your respiratory condition and how it’s impacted on your roles and responsibilities.
- Emotional difficulties related to the end of life.
- Difficult health or hospital related experiences such as ICU admissions.
What Happens After Your Referral
- If you are accepted on to our waiting list, you will be contacted to arrange a first meeting with someone from our team. Appointments may happen as an outpatient across site or during a respiratory hospital admission and arranged when a slot becomes available.
- After this assessment, you may be offered one-to-one, or group therapy sessions, and/or you may also be referred to other services for support.
- If it is helpful, a family member, carer, or a member of the respiratory team can join the appointment.
- During this initial meeting, we will ask about areas such as:
- Your physical health and your thoughts and emotions about your health.
- Your past mental health difficulties and any support you have received for this.
- Your work and/or daily activities.
- Your family and friends.
- How you cope with any difficulties you are experiencing.
- After the meeting, we will write a letter that explains what we talked about and the outcome of the assessment.
- We will ask you if it’s okay to send this letter to your GP, and the person who referred you or your main respiratory care worker.
- This might be your first time talking to someone about your feelings. We understand that this may feel daunting. We will make sure to go at your pace so you can feel as comfortable as possible.
- We would like to meet you in person, but we can arrange video or telephone appointments if these are better for you.
- We can arrange hospital transport, translators and adapt written communication to help you access our services.
- If you are being seen on the ward, we know that finding a quiet and private space on the ward can be hard. We will try our best to do this and will adjust the appointment as needed.
Outpatient:
- Feeling anxious or having panic attacks related to your breathing condition
- Low mood or feeling upset
- Coping with adjustment, change and loss e.g. feeling angry
- Worries or fears about the future, and coping with uncertainty
- Adjusting to your diagnosis and loss of confidence
- Coping with pain, fatigue and breathlessness
- Coping with the effects of the condition on your self-esteem
- Managing the demands of home and family life
Inpatient:
- Feeling anxious or having panic attacks which limit your ability to have treatment such as inpatient physiotherapy.
- Low mood or feeling upset due to being in hospital and having difficult treatments and/ or seeing others unwell.
- Coping with adjustment, change and loss e.g. feeling angry
- Coping with uncertainty whilst you’re in hospital and having worries or fears about the future once you’re discharged.
- Adjusting to your diagnosis and loss of confidence e.g. accepting you may require oxygen therapy
- Coping with the effects of the condition on your self-esteem
2. Respiratory Psychology team
- Dr Leanne Messham Principal Clinical Psychologist and Lead for Respiratory Psychological Services
- Isabel Blacker - Secretary
3. What can you expect at your appointment?
Outpatient:
On your first appointment you will meet with a clinician to discuss the support you need. If you are using our outpatient service, you will be offered a face-to-face appointment however we can still provide video or telephone appointments if this is more suitable for you. We can also help arrange hospital transport, translators and other specific requirements you may have to help you to attend and make use of the appointment.
This might be your first time talking to someone about your feelings. We understand that this can feel daunting. We will make sure to go at your own pace to enable you to feel comfortable.
Inpatient:
If you are currently in hospital, we will arrange a suitable time to meet you on the ward. We acknowledge that finding a quiet and confidential space can be difficult, but we will try to facilitate this as much as possible and adapt the appointment as needed.
General
After your referral we might contact you to arrange an initial assessment with a member of the clinical team. During the assessment we will ask questions about areas such as your emotional wellbeing, physical health, employment, and your family/friends. After we have met with you, we routinely write a letter summarising our discussion and the outcome of the assessment. We ask for your consent to copy in your GP and the person that referred you to our service/key clinician involved in your respiratory care.
4. Where will the Respiratory Psychology service be offered?
We are able to offer outpatient appointments at Calderdale Royal Hospital or at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary at Acre Mill Outpatients Level 2. Inpatient appointments will be offered at the Respiratory Wards (5) at Calderdale Royal Hospital.
5. How can you be referred to the service?
Outpatient:
If you think you would benefit from an assessment with our service, you can discuss being referred with a member of staff involved in your respiratory care at CHFT, for example a respiratory nurse, physiotherapist, or consultant.
Inpatient:
If you are currently a patient on the Respiratory Wards at Calderdale Royal Infirmary and feel you require some support with the psychological difficulties related to your respiratory condition, you can discuss a referral to our service with a member of staff involved in your respiratory care at CHFT. If you consent to a referral, we can arrange to visit you on the ward on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
6. Contact Us
Our secretary can be reached on 01484 34 6030 Monday to Friday during 8.30-4pm.
7. Other useful information
- Samaritans Available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress and despair.
- PDF of compassionate breathing booklet – A compassionate approach to understanding breathing difficulties and emotional wellbeing A4