The occupational lung disease department is part of our asthma and allergy care group at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.
With more than 20 years of experience, it's the longest-established unit for the investigation of occupational lung diseases in Europe. It is also the busiest clinic of its kind in the UK, and the birthplace of specific, occupational inhalation challenge testing.
The clinical department works within the occupational and environmental medicine service at Imperial college London. It aspires to be the UK's leading specialist centre for the investigation, management and prevention of occupational and environmental lung diseases.
Find out more about occupational lung disease.
Your appointment
Patients are often worried about their health and the impact it might have on their work, and may have questions about environmental issues away from work or about the health of their lungs. We will do our best to make your visit as easy and stress-free as possible.
We do our best to see all new patients within four weeks. You should receive either a letter or telephone call informing you when your appointment has been arranged for. Your appointment will be at Royal Brompton Hospital in London.
Appointment length
You need to arrive 30 minutes before your appointment time. This is to allow for you to register and have a chest X-ray.
Please be prepared to spend a few hours in the clinic, as you will need to have some tests. We suggest you bring a book with you or something to help pass the time while you are waiting.
You are welcome to bring one person with you to the consultation.
Tests
We usually perform a chest X-ray and some blood tests on new patients to help us understand more about your condition. We also do basic breathing tests and skin prick (allergy) testing on most patients, depending on their clinical history.
- lung function testing (spirometry) – if possible, please try not to take any reliever inhalers (such as salbutamol or Bricanyl) for four hours before your appointment, or any long-acting bronchodilators (such as Symbicort, Seretide, Fostair, Serevent or Oxis) for 12 hours prior.
- Skin prick (allergy) testing – please do not take any antihistamine medication for at least 48 hours (ideally seven days) before your appointment to ensure the tests work properly
- serial peak-flow recording
- specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) measurement) with occupational, exposure-specific allergens
- occupational inhalation challenge testing
Your results
Patient confidentiality is very important to us, and your health will not be discussed with anyone without your approval. We usually send a letter with your results to the doctor or occupational health adviser who referred you to our clinic, your GP, and yourself. If you would like to see a copy of the follow-up letter before it is sent out, please tell the doctor you see at the clinic.
Find out more about occupational lung disease.
Our clinical team
Medical staff
Professor Paul Cullinan - consultant in occupational lung disease
Dr Joanna Szram - consultant in occupational lung disease
Dr Johanna Feary - consultant in occupational lung disease and asthma
Specialist nurses
Julie Cannon
Bernadette Fitzgerald
Clinical administrator
For health professionals
If you are a health professional and need to refer a patient, find out more.