Respiratory Medicine (GP information)

The department offers a full physiological assessment including:

• Full lung function
• Provocation testing
• Sleep studies
• Flight assessments
• Oxygen assessment
• Exhaled nitric oxide
• Manometry studies
• Bronchoscopy with Lavage Endobronchial biopsies, transbronchial biopsies and transbronchial needle aspiration
• Pleural aspiration and biopsy
• Endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS)
• Exercise induced asthma
• Skin prick testing allergy profiles

Dr Pillai
Dedicated One Stop Clinic on a Monday afternoon for patients with suspected lung cancer with access to CT scanning and lung function. Sub-specialising in TB (clinic on Wednesday afternoon with TB Nurse Specialist support), sleep and ventilation, COPD and general respiratory conditions with clinics on a Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning clinic.

Dr Ramsay
Dedicated One Stop Clinic on a Monday afternoon for patients with suspected lung cancer with access to CT scanning and lung function.

Sub-specialising in pleural disease and COPD. Specialist bronchiectasis clinic with respiratory physiotherapist present to offer advice and guidance in a clinical setting. Clinics on Wednesday morning and monthly Thursday evenings.

Dr Tariq
Sub-specialising in COPD and asthma with clinics on a Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon. Specialist TB clinic, supported by TB Nurse Specialists, on a Friday afternoon. Also supports ILD clinics which are run in conjunction with Rheumatologists.

Dr Chapman
Dedicated One Stop Clinic on a Monday afternoon for patients with suspected lung cancer with access to CT scanning and lung function. Also sub-specialising in pleural disease, COPD, asthma and general respiratory conditions with clinics on a Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning

Dr Ramsundar
Sub-specialising in sleep and ventilation, palliative care and COPD. Monthly dedicated ILD clinic run in conjunction with Rheumatology support. General clinics Tuesday morning and Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Dr Southern
Dedicated One Stop Clinic on a Monday afternoon for patients with suspected lung cancer with access to CT scanning and lung function. Also sub-specialising in pleural disease and general respiratory conditions with clinics on a Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Specialist bronchiectasis clinic with respiratory physiotherapist present to offer advice and guidance in a clinical setting.

Respiratory Nurse Clinics
Our team of respiratory nurses run independent clinics looking after patients with COPD, difficult asthma, interstitial lung disease and oxygen requirements in addition to running anti IgE clinics. The respiratory nurses are also involved in the provision of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programmes which run across 3 sites, covering Luton, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable.

The Luton and Dunstable University Hospital has excellent tertiary links with Mount Vernon, Harefield, Addenbrookes, Papworth and the Royal Free and Royal Brompton hospitals in addition to St Marys Hospital London.

Visiting Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon attends Lung MDT Meeting on a Wednesday afternoon and runs an outpatient clinic for pre and postoperative patients on a Wednesday afternoon here at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.

Psychological Support for Respiratory Difficulties in Bedfordshire

We are here to help and support people to manage the symptoms of their respiratory illness and gain a better quality of life.

This leaflet explains the psychological support available to you within the Respiratory Medicine Services at Bedford and Luton & Dunstable Hospitals.

Who we are
We are set up as part of the integrated COPD service and the Respiratory Medicine clinics of the Luton & Dunstable and Bedford Hospitals. We have a counselling psychologist who offers individual and group interventions as well as support to other professionals.

How can I benefit from meeting with a psychologist?
Each person with respiratory problems will have a different set of challenges, although many of the issues may be similar. You may develop negative feelings such as stress, worry, anxiety and/or low mood as well as unhelpful thoughts. This, in turn, may lead to poor health management and an exacerbation of respiratory conditions. During therapeutic sessions we can talk about your own experience in a non-judgemental space. We can explore how your physical health impacts upon your life and then look at how you would like your life to improve alongside your respiratory condition. Psychological therapy can help you identify what changes are achievable and meaningful to you. Therapy may then help you to develop new skills and/or expand your existing skills to help you work towards your desired changes. Further details can be found here.