Two local health services run by NHS Leeds have recently been highly commended at the national Health Service Journal Awards.

The Community Respiratory Service and Dance Action Zone Leeds (DAZL) were praised for their commitment to improving patient care and reducing health inequalities.

The Community Respiratory Service was recognised in the "patient-centred care" category for their project which aims to ensure patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are empowered to manage their condition and regain their independence.

The "Putting the Living Back into Life" project, which was given the name by patients, offers a wide variety of services to help improve the patients’ experience of living with COPD. These include; an exercise and education programme (pulmonary rehabilitation) for around 650 patients a year; and a supported early discharge service which enables patients to be discharged from hospital in a timely manner and cared for at home by the team.

The project also provides a number of other services for patients and, in addition, a COPD education programme for all community-based healthcare staff to ensure that COPD patients receive high quality care in the community.

Vicky Walker, Clinical Lead for Respiratory Services said, "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease which has a big impact on patients’ quality of life. It is a major health issue in Leeds and the COPD team work closely with patients and their carers to help them better understand and manage their condition, providing support quickly, at times when they need it most."

Anne Jones, Respiratory Services Manager continued, "I am delighted that the hard work and dedication of the team has been recognised in this way. The team has helped improve the lives of so many patients, and they should be very proud of what they have achieved."

DAZL was also highlighted for its success in engaging young people from disadvantaged communities. It is a community dance programme aimed at improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children and young people through engagement in dance activity including street dance, cheerleading and break-dance classes. Since it was established in 2000, more than 2500 young people have been involved in the work of DAZL.

DAZL Director Sue Pennycook says, "We are delighted that DAZL has been recognised at a national level. The programme we have developed in Leeds has enabled children and young people to raise their aspirations and improve their confidence and self-esteem. They have also been introduced to a fun and inclusive way of taking part in regular exercise.

"We believe that DAZL can also help to bring families together; children love taking part in the dance shows and their parents, grandparents and siblings take real pride in the child’s achievements."

Three other local projects were short-listed for the awards. They are:

The Leeds Incapacity Employment Project (LIEP) is a partnership between NHS Leeds’ Musculoskeletal Services and Leeds City Council. It aims to help people who claim incapacity related benefit to improve their physical fitness and boost their confidence. Sessions relating to pain, stress management and work skills are provided and 40% of those who took part have now returned to paid employment.

The project run by NHS Leeds and the University of Leeds aims to identify and diagnose diabetes in patients that have recently suffered a heart attack. It also works with GPs to pro-actively to manage patients with diabetes who are considered at high risk of having a heart attack.

The ophthalmology service has been short listed for developing a new community centred approach to helping people with glaucoma. The team has developed an innovative system to use routinely collected information to plan and direct local services to where they are needed most.