Supporting patients to breathe easier

A new project is helping patients with lung conditions get the care they need.

Natalie Parker is a social prescribing link worker (SPLW) based with the St Thomas’ Hospital respiratory team – one of only a handful in the country working in a hospital setting.

Her role is to support patients who are struggling to access their pulmonary rehabilitation appointments for a variety of reasons, whether that’s physical health problems that make it difficult to visit the hospital, or personal circumstances such as housing issues and unemployment.

Pulmonary rehabilitation has important physical health benefits for patients suffering from lung diseases, and can also improve anxiety and depression which are common in people with this condition.

Natalie’s time is split between administrative tasks like managing referrals, and patient-facing work which includes face-to-face appointments with outpatients, conversations with inpatients who’ve been flagged as needing support, phone call clinics, and home visits for patients who struggle to visit the hospital.

Natalie said: “When I first see a patient, I go through an initial assessment with them where I discuss their social circumstances. I ask them things like: ‘where are you living? What’s your financial status? Are you caring for anyone?’ Then, I try to identify the specific barrier that’s preventing the patient from accessing the pulmonary rehab service – whether that’s issues with transport, mental health or substance abuse.”

“Sometimes the patient comes in with a very clear problem, for example they might not be able to afford their bills or they want to move property as it’s not safe anymore. Often it might be a mental health issue which can be a bit of a grey area, so I’ll refer them on to a mental health team and support them with the practical side of things as much as I can.”

The project has only been running since April 2025 but early signs show it’s already having a positive impact for patients.

Natalie added: “Often patients come in feeling overwhelmed and I’m able to take them step by step through their day to help calm them down and really tease out the issue. I ask them questions like: ‘You wake up in the morning, then what happens? What do you do and then why has that gone wrong? How can we make this better for you?’”

“I’ve supported someone to access mental health support they’ve never used before and they’ve been finding that helpful. Another patient was too underweight to access pulmonary rehab so I referred her to a dietician. She’s started putting on weight and will soon be able to use the service which is really encouraging.”

The respiratory team have also really appreciated Natalie’s support when it comes to difficult conversations with patients.

“A lot of physios are often faced with challenging questions from patients such as ‘How can I afford public transport to the hospital?’ They often don’t have the capacity or the expertise to help with these issues which is where they appreciate being able to refer the patient to me for dedicated support.”

Natalie’s role is part of a pilot project which lasts until the end of the year, at which point it will be reviewed to see how much of an impact it’s made on the number of patients completing their pulmonary rehab sessions.

She said: “My goal is to help build people’s trust in the healthcare system, make things feel more connected and improve access to the services they need. Pulmonary rehab patients are visiting the hospital twice a week for seven weeks so it’s a valuable opportunity to build relationships and connect them with wider support.”

The project is supported by NHS South East London and King’s Health Partners’ Vital 5 programme. Learn more on our website.