Published on: 28 July 2025
Community sessions which offer tailored care to help people breathe better have become a national winner.
The Assessment of Breathing Clinic (ABC) offers personalised support for people who experience breathlessness.
It is led by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT). It brings together GPs, consultants, therapists and social prescribers, giving a ‘one-stop shop’ for diagnosis and treatment.
This helps keep the number of appointments down and encourages patients to prevent further illness, rather than treating it when it happens.
Breathlessness affects more than 10% of adults. It is commonly experienced by people who have long-term conditions including heart and lung diseases, anxiety and obesity.
It is the third most common cause of people being admitted to hospital in an emergency and can lead to repeated hospital visits. Patients often face long waits and multiple referrals to be seen by specialists.
People who live in deprived communities are affected more. In Sunderland and South Tyneside, the rates of lung disease and deprivation are among the highest in the UK.
The clinic is an example of how the Trust is ahead of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, moving from sickness to prevention and from hospital to community.
Now the ABC programme has become a national award winner in recognition of the difference it has helped make to its patients.
It has won in the Improved Treatments, Therapies and Rehabilitation category in the Medipex Awards.
The ABC Team with their Staff Recognition and Medipex awards.
This invited those who have led innovations which improve treatments or rehabilitation for patients to share their entries.
Anne-Marie Cole is the GP Clinical Lead for ABC in the Trust. She is also the Clinical Lead for Respiratory- Physical Health and Prevention Team for NHS England North East and Yorkshire.
She said:
"We are delighted to have won recognition for our work and the difference it has made to our patients.
"By bringing together this team of experts, we have been able to pool our knowledge and support, making it much easier for people to get the help they need to improve their health. It also means they’ve not needed as many appointments because they’ve got that care in one place.
"A big part of the ABC is that it identifies patients and it helps prevent illness, rather than just treating it.
"We have seen how this approach has improved their quality of life, reduced emergency visits and cut steroid use by 30%, improving those long-term health conditions.
"It’s also been a key project in help tackle the health inequalities we face across our area.
"We’ve heard first hand from patients who tell us they feel better and more in control of their health, while our own team enjoy their work because they see the difference it has made.
"We know this way of working can be used to help even more people, it has such good potential to transform the care of other long-term symptoms too."
Dr Mickey Jachuck is a Consultant Cardiologist and Physician and is the Trust’s Clinical Director for Cardiothoracic Medicine.
He said:
"It is fantastic news that the work of everyone who is part of our ABC has been championed through this award.
"It’s another title to add to their name, as they where also a winner at our own Trust’s Staff Recognition Awards in the Innovation category. To see it be hailed by colleagues as well as an outside organisation proves how valued it is.
"I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in the team, but also thank the patients who have stepped up and got involved.
"It can be difficult to make changes to our lifestyle, but everything about this service is geared up to make them feel better and the feedback they’ve given has proved it works."
Medipex was set up in 2004 as an NHS Innovation Hub based in Yorkshire. It now works with people across the UK, including charities and the NHS, to offer advice and hands-on support to develop ways to help patients.
