Pulmonary Rehabilitation

We can help you manage your chronic lung condition and help you improve your quality of life, your fitness, and your breathing, through our rehabilitation programme.

How we can help you

Our programme is designed to help you learn more about your lung condition, improve your confidence, and boost your fitness 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 how to manage your condition.

Achieve your goals

When you’re referred to us, we’ll get to know you, and help you set goals to work towards.

Many of the people who join our programme notice that they can walk further, have better control of their breathing, and find everyday tasks a lot easier.

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

Everyone’s experiences of lung conditions are different, but many of the 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
Feeling more positive about their symptoms
Having a better understanding of their lung condition

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 West Berkshire 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 West Berkshire, 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.