Face-to-face Pulmonary Rehabilitation is currently running out of two venues (St Pancras Hospital and the Peckwater Centre), while remote PR continues to run for patients to complete live from their homes. Certain venues remain with long waiting times due to ongoing demand for the service.

Please refer eligible patients into the service and a member of the team will contact them in due course to offer one of the following:

• Advice and signposting to online/digital resources (e.g. Asthma and Lung UK, COPD YouTube channel, My COPD App) as appropriate
• Provision of a basic home exercise programme to increase access to the formal PR Program
• Remote pulmonary rehabilitation
• Face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation. 

The pulmonary rehabilitation course, lasting six weeks, focuses on exercise, education and self-management. 

Pulmonary rehabilitation should be offered to all patients MRC 3 and above, as well as any patients who feel functionally limited by breathlessness, or exacerbate frequently; see NICE COPD guidelines 2018 (External links).

Please include patient spirometry with tracing confirming diagnosis of COPD on referral and review that the patients meets criteria for referral (see Eligibility Criteria below).

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusions

• registered with Camden GP
• COPD diagnosis confirmed with quality assured spirometry
• willingness to participate.
• MRC score of 3-5
• MRC score of 1 or 2 with a history of repeated exacerbations or limited by breathlessness
• sufficient mobility
• optimal medical management
• ability to travel for face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation (transport available if otherwise unable to attend)
• internet capabilities at home (for remote PR) and if possible a laptop/tablet (a tablet can be arranged if the patient only has internet at home) 

Exclusions

• unstable angina
• MI in last four weeks
• uncontrolled CVD
• serious locomotor disorders
• other serious medical condition/cognitive impairment that restricts ability to participate
• have attended in last year.

How to Refer