Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary Rehabilitation is a 6 week exercise and education programme at community based centres, to help you manage your chronic lung condition and help you improve your quality of life.

How we can help you

Our programme is designed to help you learn more about your lung condition, improve your confidence, and your exercise capacity so you don’t feel as out of breath in your typical day-to-day activities.

It combines regular gentle exercises, including breathing techniques to manage shortness of breath and education on understanding your lung condition.

Everyone’s experiences of lung conditions are different, but most people who have joined our programme have noticed an improvement in their day-to-day lives, such as:

Having fewer chest infections or flare-ups of their condition
Feeling more physically active and able to walk further
Feeling more positive about their symptoms and how to manage them
Having a better understanding of their lung condition

When you complete the programme, we’ll help you set goals for the future and guide you to other local services and groups that can help you.

Cardiac and Respiratory Specialist Services (CARSS)

Pulmonary Rehabilitation is part of our Cardiac and Respiratory Specialist Services (CARSS).

CARSS includes:

You can be referred to CARSS while you’re in hospital, or if you’re registered with a GP in Berkshire West and over the age of 18.

Depending on your needs, we may refer you to our other CARSS teams if we feel that you would benefit from their support and advice.

Accessing our service

To be referred to us, you must be registered with a GP in Berkshire West, and have a diagnosis of either:

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Bronchiectasis
Interstitial Lung Disease

Your GP or another healthcare professional can send a referral to:

Email integratedhub@berkshire.nhs.uk

Unfortunately, we don’t accept self-referrals however, when you complete Pulmonary Rehabilitation, you are given the contact details of the Respiratory Service in case your lung condition deteriorates, and you need support from them.