Welcome to the Peers in Practice inhale hub. Here you will find information to support your COPD consultations with your patients
Adverse events reporting and prescribing information can be found at the bottom of the page.
This material was developed in collaboration with a UCL Business company, Personia Health, industry leaders in the application of validated behavioural science frameworks and tools developed from extensive research into helping patients and healthcare professionals to get the best from treatments by enhancing engagement, adherence and persistence to optimise health.1
Healthcare professionals have been consulted by GSK and received honorarium.
Challenges and Proven Approaches for Managing Patients with COPD
Beverley Bostock, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, moved to patient-focused consultations and group reviews. Time pressures in primary care led her to adopt efficient, team-based approaches that increase patient engagement and can help improve outcomes.
Who is Beverley Bostock?
The perspectives and approaches described on this page reflect the clinical experience of Beverley Bostock and are intended as examples of practice in a primary care setting.
Challenges in primary care COPD management
Beverley cares for many patients with COPD and the biggest constraint she faces is time.
From her perspective, COPD can be complex and multifaceted, requiring holistic assessment, management of multiple morbidities, and attention to mental health and social impacts. Yet primary care appointments are limited and must also meet Quality and Outcomes Framework requirements (QOF).2
In her experience, these pressures create recurring barriers that can limit effective behaviour change discussions. From Beverley's perspective, some of the common challenges in COPD reviews include:
Limited appointment time to cover clinical, functional and psychosocial needs
COPD complexity and multi-morbidity (poly-pharmacy, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mood disorders)2
Template-led reviews that can miss individual priorities and lived experience2
Patient disengagement or missed reviews, risking unaddressed exacerbations2
Need to balance personalised care with documentation and QOF obligations2
Patient-focused care and group consultations
Beverley cares for many patients with COPD and the biggest constraint she faces is time.
Beverley adopted apatient focused, team-based model centred on group consultations.
Her approach combines peer support, motivational interviewing and standardised resources so patients get more meaningful contact without sacrificing efficiency.
In practice, this model works across four connected elements.
01.
Shared learning through group reviews
Annual group consultations give patients space to share experiences, discuss symptoms and inhaler use, and learn from peers.
This builds confidence and supports engagement with pulmonary rehabilitation.
02.
Structured behaviour change conversations
One-to-one reviews open with “What matters to you?” and use motivational interviewing to identify priorities and build confidence to change.
03.
Whole-team alignment
The practice team uses consistent behaviour change techniques and messaging, ensuring patients receive the same approach at every touchpoint.
04.
Standardised consultation tools
Inhale Hub resources and Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate / umeclidinium / vilanterol) COPD Patient Support Packs support inhaler teaching, behaviour prompts and follow-up, reinforcing change beyond the consultation.
Why Do Some Patients with COPD Say No to Change?
Reveal Behavioural Change InsightsResources to Support Change
Enhance your Patient ConsultationsImpact and Outcomes
Since introducing group consultations, Beverley has observed several positive outcomes for her patients and practice teams. Hear her describe these in the video below.
Adverse events reporting and prescribing information can be found at the bottom of the page.
Benefits of group consultations for patients and HCPs
Patient ownership of COPD care
Peer-to-peer discussion of treatments and exacerbation frequency helps patients learn practical self-management tips.
Openness to treatment changes
Attitudes towards options such as pulmonary rehabilitation often shift after hearing peers’ experiences.
Emotional support
Group discussions complement clinical advice by providing emotional and mental health support.
Benefits during consultations
Peer discussion helps patients feel understood and more willing to try changes they previously thought were not possible.
Efficient use of clinician time
In a one-hour session, clinicians can support up to eight patients compared with roughly three in individual appointments.
Re-engaging a disengaged patient
One patient with COPD repeatedly missed reviews and had an unreviewed exacerbation.
A phone call that focused on her life, not the template, revealed work, family and low mood problems and very low confidence in making changes.
Using motivational interviewing, Beverley explored what mattered to her, invited her to a group consultation (she brought her daughter), optimised her treatment and supported her to attend pulmonary rehabilitation.
Over time her symptoms, activity levels and confidence improved markedly.
This experience reinforced the importance of focusing on the individual rather than just the condition.
It’s easy in the NHS to rely on templates and tick boxes, but truly patient-centred care requires listening, understanding, and adapting to the patient’s unique circumstances.
Even something as simple as following up after a missed appointment, as Beverley did with this patient, can create an opportunity to build trust and make meaningful progress.
Lesson
Patient focused conversations plus peer support can re-engage disengaged patients and drive meaningful, sustainable change.
3 quick steps to manage COPD in your practice
Adverse events reporting and prescribing information can be found at the bottom of the page.
01.
Put the patient first
Look beyond the condition and focus on the individual. Start with what matters most to the patient, not just what is clinically required.
02.
Take a holistic approach
COPD care is not just about the lungs. Consider co-morbidities, mental health and the wider factors affecting day-to-day life.
03.
Use peer support
Group consultations can help patients learn from each other, feel understood and support change in ways one-to-one consultations may not.
Resources to Support Change
Solidify the change. Supportive resources for you and your patients.
Enhance your Patient ConsultationsAbbreviations
ARNS, Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; PCRS, Primary Care Respiratory Society; QOF, Quality and Outcomes Framework.
References
- Personia Health, a University College London Business company - making the most of medicines and vaccines. Available at: https://personiahealth.com
- GOLD. Global strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD. 2026 Report. Available at: https://goldcopd.org/2026-gold-report-and-pocket-guide/
March 2026 | PM-GB-CPU-WCNT-260001 (V2.0)
For the Trelegy Ellipta® (fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol) prescribing information Click here.
Beverley is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Gloucestershire and an independent prescriber. She is the Asthma Lead for ARNS, Chair of the ARNS Respiratory Diseases committee, and sits on the Executive Committee of the PCRS and Asthma and Lung UK's Council of Healthcare Professionals. She holds an MSc in Respiratory Care and an MA in Medical Ethics and Law. Bev was part of the NICE Asthma Quality Standards development and the National Review of Asthma Deaths. She is Editor in Chief of Practice Nurse Journal and has been a Queen’s Nurse since 2015.
