Organisation Details

The Community Pulmonary Rehabilitation programmes are currently being held face to face at 2 locations across Norfolk, virtually via MS Teams, via telephone and App based. The service is lead by a nurse specialist with an experienced clinical team.

The courses are designed for people with a confirmed respiratory diagnosis who are beginning to experience functional disability because of breathlessness. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a multi-component intervention that improves physical fitness, quality of life and confidence to self-manage and live with a long-term lung disease (most commonly COPD, but also bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease and other chronic respiratory disease).

Each course consists of a pre-course assessment which may be via telephone or a face-to-face assessment. For face-to-face groups this is followed by twice weekly sessions over a 6 week period. For those completing Pulmonary Rehabilitation either virtually (MS Teams), by using an app or by telephone this is followed by six consecutive weekly sessions. All of the programmes require a final discharge assessment. Patients are given an individualised exercise programme and lung health education. The topics covered include:

• how your lungs work
• your respiratory medications
• relaxation techniques, breathing control and chest secretion clearance
• anxiety and depression management
• energy conservation
• self management planning (when symptoms deteriorate
• further support available
• eating well for good lung health
• oxygen therapy
• smoking cessation
• the importance of exercise and maintaining fitness after the programme

Interpretation and translation services can be arranged by staff, for users of this service.

An Patient Information sheet about the service is available.