The Altered Airways and Complex Respiratory Service (AACRS) is now live across north central London.

The service provides specialist, community based support for adult patients with an altered airway or complex respiratory needs that fall outside existing pathways.

AACRS offers assessment, advice, and intervention including airway clearance and cough augmentation, community management of altered airways, hypersalivation management, complex discharge planning, and support with respiratory equipment and consumables.

Referrals are accepted from any healthcare professional or GP via the embedded EMIS referral form. Email enquiries are welcomed, particularly where the patient is already known to the service or for urgent queries such as broken equipment or missing consumables.

The team works closely with Continuing Healthcare (CHC) colleagues and liaises with relevant secondary and tertiary services, including sleep and ventilation teams, to ensure coordinated patient care.

The service is delivered by a specialist team of respiratory therapists who work autonomously while being fully integrated within established multidisciplinary networks across NCL. Medical clinical oversight is provided by Dr Astin.

Due to the complexity of this patient group, individuals are not formally discharged and may access support as required.