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Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Checked: 08-02-2024 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 06-02-2026

Pulmonary Rehab Services

The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service is a treatment programme for adults with long term lung conditions, whose breathing is causing them difficulty when moving around or carrying out daily activities. The programme provides education about respiratory disease and how to manage it alongside patient-centred exercise plans. It aims to improve quality of life, improve exercise tolerance and help patients feel more in control of their condition.

Our programmes run on varying days and times Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, at locations across the whole of BNSSG. Pulmonary Rehabilitation services are run by both the Sirona Community Respiratory Specialist Team and the North Bristol NHS Trust Respiratory Specialist Team. We are now offering face to face groups, virtual groups (Sirona only) and one on one phone support sessions (NBT only). Please warn patients who are referred that there may be a long wait due to high demand and post Covid backlog.

Inclusion Criteria

Symptomatic shortness of breath - MRC score 2 or above
Chronic respiratory disease
Motivated to participate

Exclusion Criteria

Unstable cardiac conditions
Severe cognitive deficit
Metastatic cancer or renal failure
Immobile

The Pulmonary Rehab teams are also working with MyCOPD to provide alternative digital self-management options for patients who may not be able to commit to pulmonary rehabilitation.

My mhealth: my COPD (App )

My COPD helps people with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) to better manage their condition. They can use it to perfect their inhaler technique, improve their breathing, reduce exacerbations, track their medication, monitor their activity levels, and more. It is suitable for all patients with COPD, who have access to a smartphone or the internet.

GPs can also offer the App during clinical reviews, if their practice has signed up to the Digital Champion Service - see the myCOPD App page of Remedy for further details.

Asthma and Lung UK

Patients can also be signposted to Asthma and Lung UK for support and information. There is lots of useful information on the https://www.blf.org.uk/ website.

There is also a Help line on 03000 030 555 where patients can speak to an advisor

Patients may wish to look at some of the leaflets on the website: Support for you | Asthma + Lung UK (blf.org.uk)

There is an option to purchase an exercise booklet for £5 as well if they wish

Referrals

Any healthcare professional can refer to the service.

The patient will need to consent to referral and a brief explanation of what programme entails – ie. exercise education, 6 weeks long, attendance twice a week for 2 hours each time. Patient must recognise that they are limited by their breathlessness and have a diagnosis of a long-term lung condition.

Patients who have a diagnosis of a long term lung condition can also self refer by contacting the teams on the number below. Patients who self refer must be happy for our team to speak to their GP to gain their full medical history prior to attendance at the group.

Please complete the referral form to refer to pulmonary rehab

For Bristol and North Somerset patients please email the form to: sirona.respiratory@nhs.net Phone number for queries: 0300 124 5909

For South Gloucestershire patients Please email the form to leep@nbt.nhs.uk or refer via ICE. Phone number for queries: 0117 414 2010

Resources

Brief Advice for Pulmonary Rehabilitation - The following documents have been produced by the national lung health at home team. The aim of the tool is to enhance the quality of conversation at the point of introducing pulmonary rehab.

A step-by-step guide to introduce patients to pulmonary rehabilitation.

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.