A nurse-led service for acute exacerbation of COPD.

One in four of all hospital admissions are due to respiratory disease and half of these are due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In Wigan this has been tackled using 'The Wigan Model', which incorporates acute COPD assessment and early discharge. The service, established in 1999, is specialist nurse-led with referrals from GPs, the A&E department and the medical assessment unit.