Enhancing Respiratory Care in Inverclyde

The Inverclyde Asthmatic Caring Group was formed in 1983 to raise funds to purchase Nebuliser machines for asthmatic children and babies to use at home.

Shortly after the Group was established, the local GP's and hospital Consultants quickly realised the potential benefit of our service for sufferers of all respiratory ailments and so our service expanded and has grown rapidly over the last few years.

We now provide Nebulisers to sufferers of all respiratory diseases and ailments in Inverclyde by request from their GP or Consultant and in addition to this, provide spare parts for our clients and also service and replace the machines as required.

In addition to the basic machine, we provide a battery operated TravelNeb machine to sufferers who would otherwise not be able to leave their own homes and also a World Traveller to allow sufferers to travel abroad.

We have now  joined with a collaborative COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) initiative in partnership with our local hospital and GP network and have recently been successful in applying for Lottery funding and also obtaining a donation from our local Hospital League of Friends to provide two portable oxygen concentrators and 20 oxygen cylinder conserver valves that both the Hospital and Community Respiratory Nurses can access to further improve and enhance the lives of people requiring home oxygen therapy. The portable concentrators allow people who would normally be very restricted to get out their home to borrow these machines to visit family or attend family occasions etc. The conserver valves fit between an oxygen cylinder and the patient tubing and extends the time that the cylinder can provide the patient with oxygen so that they can take smaller cylinders out to get about.