Face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation groups resume meetings

Patients with chronic respiratory problems which cause breathlessness and fatigue will again benefit from face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation as the groups come back to village halls and community centres around the county.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust’s (LCHS) countywide respiratory service ran a six-week programme of exercise and education classes helping people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory conditions to manage their illness. At the start of the lockdown, the service paused face-to-face groups as most patients were asked to shield due to their health. The team introduced virtual sessions, which proved very successful for some; however, not all patients had the technology to attend the meetings. Some honestly admitted that they struggled to engage with and adhere to the routine of virtual classes.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an essential component of managing chronic respiratory diseases and it provides long-term benefits for patients. So the respiratory service worked hard to restart face-to-face sessions and run them alongside the virtual groups. Currently, they offer their rehabilitation programme in Bourne, Hogsthorpe, Legbourne, Lincoln and Sibsey, with more local venues going live soon.

Liz Hill, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist at LCHS, said: “It was clear for us that our patients were missing out because they couldn’t attend physical classes. Evidence shows that for a person with COPD, a pulmonary rehabilitation programme such as ours improves their ability to walk further and reduces their breathlessness and fatigue. Patients also report improved emotional wellbeing with reduced anxiety and depression and overall better quality of life.

“We worked tirelessly and went through a rigorous process of infection prevention checks to ensure patients attending classes are safe. We adjusted our group sizes and physical layout to facilitate social distancing. We do temperature checks and check for symptoms of COVID-19 and any chest infections before allowing people to attend the class. Unfortunately, at the moment, we do not allow carers to attend and support the patients. Our team has really done their best to bring back face-to-face groups to local venues.”

Linda from Boston, who attends one of the pulmonary rehabilitation groups, said: “I feel it does people a lot of good to get out, mix with others and make friends during these sessions.”

Respiratory disease affects one in five people in England. Patients can access a pulmonary rehabilitation programme following a referral from a health professional. The programme includes individually progressed aerobic exercise and resistance training as well as education elements including coping strategies, relaxation, nutrition, breathlessness management and medications.