A collaborative working project to establish two specialist “Tier 2” treatment centres for patients with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) working across three sites at Manchester University Foundation Trust.

The collaboration is between Boehringer Ingelheim Limited (BIL) and Manchester University Foundation Trust (MFT) to establish two specialist centres, “Tier 2” centres for the treatment of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) and North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) whilst consolidating/augmenting the “Tier 3” service at Wythenshawe, to facilitate an improved care pathway for ILD corresponding with NHS England’s plans for a National Consensus Pathway for integrated ILD care. In line with the NHS 10- Year Plan, this positions MFT to be the best possible version of a regional ILD hub, capable of serving the wider Greater Manchester NHS system and its citizens with excellence, equity and innovation.

ILD comprises a broad spectrum of conditions characterised by inflammation and/or fibrosis of the lung, leading to impaired gas exchange. One of the most common of these conditions is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The NICE Quality standard for IPF specifies that services should be commissioned from and co-ordinated across all relevant organisations encompassing the whole IPF care pathway. A patient-centred, integrated approach to providing services is fundamental to delivering high-quality care to adults with IPF.

IPF is diagnosed via a complex care pathway that includes primary, secondary, and tertiary specialist care involvement. These complexities contribute to the delay between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis, with 40% of patients nationally waiting for more than 2 years to be diagnosed. Some individuals may also experience anxiety and depression whilst waiting and navigating a prolonged diagnostic pathway. A diagnosis of IPF has a worse life expectancy than most cancers with only 25% surviving five years.

This Collaborative Working Project aims to implement two Specialist Treatment Centres with the objectives below.

A.    Improve access to treatment across the MFT:  A unified appointment system to ensure timely access to specialist clinicians.

B.    Reduce Waiting Times: Streamlining patient flow and prescribing locally in the specialist treatment centre, reducing referrals to a tertiary centre.

C.    Minimise Duplication:  Supporting the right test at the right time, reducing unnecessary appointments and diagnostic testing.

D.    Enhance Patient Experience: Improving continuity of care and closer to home.

This project will mobilise shared resources for a period of two years.

Boehringer Ingelheim is proud to be collaborating with MFT to implement this national consensus pathway, to improve both the health and quality of patients’ lives and efficiencies within the NHS.

References:

1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2015). Quality standard (QS79) Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Adults. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs79 (last accessed October 25)
2. British Thoracic Society. BTS ILD Registry Annual Report 2021 UK https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/quality-improvement/lung-disease-registries/bts-ild-registry/ (last accessed October 25)
3. British Thoracic Society. BTS ILD Registry Annual Report 2021: a summary of the UK IPF Registry for the general public.  https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/quality-improvement/lung-disease-registries/bts-ild-registry/ (last accessed October 25)

NP-GB-106392 October 2025

References