HEALTH bosses are considering plans for a county-wide service to improve the care of people with breathing difficulties.

Breathlessness is the single biggest cause of emergency admission to hospital.

But many admissions could be avoided by more effective chronic disease management in the community.

On Thursday, board members of Darlington Primary Care Trust (PCT) will consider a proposal to develop a Durham and Darlington Respiratory Management Service.

The first stage in setting up such a service would be to appoint a community respiratory nurse team leader who would be involved in training a team in Darlington and South Durham.

The team would cover hospital admissions and discharges, and would eventually set up a pulmonary rehabilitation service across the Durham and Darlington PCT areas.

The team leader would be supported by a community respiratory nurse in each area, who would work closely with hospital respiratory services and community-based clinics run by specially-trained GPs.

The proposal has been backed by County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bishop Auckland General Hospital and the University Hospital of North Durham.

Board members will be told that the introduction of such a service would challenge primary and secondary care to work closely together.

Respiratory teams serving different parts of the county would need to be multi-disciplinary organisations, including consultant respiratory physicians, nurse specialists, GPs with a special interest, community matrons, physiotherapists and other health care workers.

On Thursday, the board and professional executive committee of the PCT will be asked to support the initiative and agree to invest £50,000 in getting the project off the ground.