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Management of breathlessness in adults within primary care
Join this webinar for practical guidance on assessing and managing breathlessness in primary care, using case studies to illustrate common challenges and introduce national pathways, which can aid high-quality best practice care.
Chronic breathlessness in adults, defined as breathlessness lasting longer than 8-weeks, is among the most common reasons people consult in primary care. It also frequently becomes a long term condition driven by multiple treatable traits, rather than a single disease. Many people attend healthcare settings repeatedly before an effective diagnosis and management plan are reached.
In this webinar, Anne-Marie Cole will be joined by Helen Ward, Nicola Standring-Brown and Victoria Ord to discuss how chronic breathlessness can be identified, assessed and managed effectively within primary care.
Using case studies and the latest NHS pathways, they will explore practical approaches to assessment, diagnosis and management, which will support earlier intervention and better patient outcomes. The session will focus on delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time, while supporting a patient-centred approach to care.
This webinar will cover:
- why timely assessment and investigation of breathlessness matters,
- identifying red flags and recognising when referral is needed,
- practical case studies covering different presentations of chronic breathlessness,
- addressing diagnostic challenges and variations in access to services,
- supporting self-management, rehabilitation and patient-centred communication, and
- using national pathways to inform care and referral, as well as work across neighbourhood and multidisciplinary teams to improve care.
This is the third in a series of three webinars looking at the management of chronic cough and breathlessness in primary care:
- Breathlessness and chronic cough in adults: Challenges currently being faced by primary care (30 September 2026)
- Management of chronic cough in adults within primary care (4 November 2026)
- Management of breathlessness in adults within primary care (10 November 2026)
For information on all PCRS webinars, please go to our event feed.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Health Innovation Network, Oxford (HIN) for the provision of an education grant to support the production of this resource as part of the Elective Care Respiratory Pathways programme.
Speakers
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Anne-Marie Cole
15 years as a GP in the North East has given Anne-Marie a broad experience looking after patients with respiratory conditions and the challenges they face.
Anne-Marie is Integrated Care Lead for the acute trust in South Tyneside and Sunderland developing and delivering improved services and outcomes for respiratory patients including personalised care MDT model managing breathlessness.
As clinical lead for respiratory for North East and Yorkshire she helps 4 ICBs deliver and innovate within the respiratory programme and links with the national team.
Anne-Marie has a special interest in population health management approaches and reducing health inequalities. -
Helen Ward
Helen Ward has been a Consultant Respiratory Physician at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust since February 2013. She has a particular interest in integrated care, the assessment and management of chronic breathlessness and end of life care in non-malignant respiratory disease. She was a trustee for the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and a member of the BTS board for 4 years until June 2023 and is the current President-Elect for the Association of Respiratory Technology and Physiology (ARTP). She also represents the BTS on the NHS England Respiratory Delivery Board which has oversight of the delivery of the Long Term Plan (LTP) for Respiratory and is breathlessness clinical lead for the NHS England elective care pathway development. -
Nicola Standring-Brown
After beginning her career as a staff nurse on an acute respiratory and high dependency ward, Nicola developed a passion for respiratory medicine and went on to complete a Master's degree in Long Term Conditions. She then moved into specialist respiratory care as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, delivering pulmonary rehabilitation, supporting outpatient clinics and oxygen services, and providing expert advice to ward teams caring for patients with respiratory conditions.
Driven by a desire to intervene earlier in the patient pathway, improve outcomes and reduce avoidable hospital admissions, Nicola transitioned into primary care. She continues to work clinically alongside her role as a Senior Nurse Educator for the South Yorkshire Primary Care Workforce and Training Hub, where she leads and supports the development of the primary care workforce through education, training and service improvement initiatives.
A Queen's Nurse and recognised respiratory leader, Nicola is passionate about improving respiratory care and reducing health inequalities. She provides respiratory education and supports service development across South Yorkshire through her work with the South Yorkshire Respiratory Network and as Chair of the South Yorkshire Respiratory Interest Group (SYRIG). She has served as a Respiratory Champion for Asthma + Lung UK and, until recently, was Clinical Lead for Children and Young People's Asthma, helping to drive improvements in asthma care and outcomes across the region.
Recognised nationally for her contribution to respiratory care, Nicola is a member of the Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) Executive Committee, where she contributes to the development of respiratory practice, education and policy across the UK. Through her regional and national roles, she supports healthcare professionals, champions best practice and helps shape respiratory services to improve patient outcomes.
Outside of work, Nicola enjoys keeping fit and active as well as being an avid reader. -
Victoria Ord
Victoria is an experienced Highly Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist with 12 years’ clinical experience across the acute, outpatient and community settings.
She is Lead Physiotherapist for the award-winning Assessment of Breathing Clinic at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust, an innovative integrated service delivering multidisciplinary assessment and management for patients with complex breathing, respiratory and upper airway presentations.
Victoria has developed a broad and highly specialist perspective on respiratory care through her work across the full patient pathway. Her clinical experience includes working within critical care, acute medical wards, outpatient services and community rehabilitation, giving her a particular interest in integrated, patient-centred approaches to complex respiratory conditions.
In her current role, Victoria works closely across professional boundaries to support multidisciplinary assessment, diagnosis and management, with a particular focus on improving pathways and delivering transformational care for patients with breathlessness and cough.
Outside of work, Victoria’s two great passions are her dog and Newcastle United Football Club.
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