BreathEasy Programme

The ‘BreathEasy’ Tracheostomy And Ventilation Homecare Programme

Background:
The ‘BreathEasy’ Tracheostomy and Ventilation homecare programme at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital has been running since 1989 and stands out as a model of providing quality health care to trache-dependent children. It is the only facility in sub-Saharan Africa currently offering a homecare programme. Children elsewhere in South Africa are either permanently hospitalised or die prematurely from their underlying illness. There are currently over 100 children with tracheostomies living at home (stats: 2010) with 13 of them on Home Ventilation. In 1989, there were 25-30 inpatients with tracheostomies. Since then, approximately 1000 children at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital have had tracheostomies and most of them were cared for at home.

Problem:
Although the Hospital recycles the equipment patients no longer require, after 5 years it needs to be replaced. These trache patients occupy 8-10 of the Pulmonology and ENT beds on a long term basis which exacerbates the problem of shortage of beds in the Hospital. Limited resources means the programme cannot expand to meet the increasing demand for this service.

Solution:
The BreathEasy Programme saved the hospital an estimated R40 million in 2010 and has a 22-year track record. As a result it requires an 8-10 bed inpatient high care unit and a wide range of tracheostomy and home ventilation-related equipment to cater for inpatient and ambulatory care of children with respiratory disorders that require a tracheostomy and/or long-term ventilation homecare. By providing home-based care with limited resources but maintaining successful outcomes, additional support will grow their capacity to support many more children both in Cape Town and beyond. The trache-dependent children and their families are ensured a better quality of life through home-based care rather than long-term hospitalisation.

Budget:
R2.2 million is needed to acquire medical and nonmedical equipment to facilitate the care of trache-dependent children at home.

Timeline:
November 2011 – November 2014.

For more information on this project please click here, or contact Philippa Douglas

Article about Sister Jane Booth and the evolution and success of the home-based care Breathe Easy Tracheostomy programme. Published in South African Medical Journal 2012.