Work-related lung disease can be a factor of working in environments where you are inhaling or being exposed to certain dusts, gases, fumes and vapours. Although you may not feel the effects of this exposure for many years, you can develop diseases like asbestosis, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer. Symptoms include:
- shortness of breath (sometimes painful)
- coughing (sometimes painful)
- chest pain
- coughing up phlegm
- tiredness
Royal Brompton Hospital occupational lung disease clinic
The main clinic at the Royal Brompton Hospital outpatients department takes place every Monday afternoon and is located in the Fulham Road (south) block in Chelsea, SW3 6HP.
Please report to the patient registration desk when you arrive. You will then be directed to the x-ray department for a chest x-ray and then to the clinic waiting area in outpatients east.
All of these areas are on the ground floor of the building.
In our clinic, the clinical nurse specialists and doctors work together to deliver the best possible care.
You will be seen by one of our clinical nurse specialists, Julie Cannon or Bernadette Fitzgerald, who will ask some general questions and, if appropriate, carry out routine tests to assess your lung function (spirometry) and allergic status (using skin prick tests).
You will then be seen by one of the following doctors specialising in the assessment and care of occupational and environmental lung diseases:
Professor Paul Cullinan - consultant in occupational lung disease
Dr Jo Szram - consultant in occupational lung disease
Dr Johanna Feary - consultant in occupational lung disease and asthma
The team also includes:
Dr Sara De Matteis - clinical lecturer in occupational medicine
Anju Mittu - clinical administrator
We are a teaching hospital and one of only a few occupational lung disease specialist services in the UK. We often have visiting doctors, nurses and students in our clinic, but you can let us know at any time if you would prefer not to have visitors present during your consultation.
You may find this guide to the occupational lung disease clinic useful – it describes what will happen during your appointment and the tests you will have. You will be given a copy of this leaflet when you arrive.
Harefield Hospital occupational lung disease clinic
This clinic is held once a month on a Thursday morning.
This location is convenient for patients attending from outside London who wish to travel to clinic by car, as parking is available and it is easily accessible from the M25/M40 motorways. The postcode for the hospital is UB9 6JH.
Please report to the outpatients department when you arrive, where you will be asked to complete a registration form and will then be directed to the X-ray department for a chest X-ray. Once this is done, please return to the outpatients department where you may have basic lung function (spirometry) and skin prick (allergy) tests before seeing the doctor.
You may find this guide to the occupational lung disease clinic useful – it describes what will happen during your appointment and the tests you will have. You will be given a copy of this leaflet when you arrive.
Who should I contact if I have any questions about my appointment or I need to change the appointment?
If you have any questions please contact clinical administrator Anju Mittu (020 7351 8341). If you telephone and she is not available, please leave a message and she will get back to you when she can.
Please let us know if you are not able to attend your appointment and if any additional tests, such as lung function, have also been arranged for you.