Evaluating a respiratory intermediate care team.

This article examines the work of a respiratory intermediate care team. Findings from an audit and a patient satisfaction postal questionnaire are presented to assess the effectiveness of the team's work and evaluate the effect of specialist nursing teams on hospital bed days and patient preference. From the evaluation it is apparent that the respiratory intermediate care team is an effective means of saving hospital bed days through prevention of admission and early discharge in patients with chronic respiratory disease. The results of the patient satisfaction postal questionnaire show that the majority of patients find hospital-at-home style care favourable because they feel well-supported at home to self-manage their condition. This outcome is important because it indicates that specialist nursing teams in primary care are valuable to patients and save the NHS money.