Essie Mac Eyeson
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Policy Lead, Taskforce for Lung Health
Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatments for people with lung disease and more needs to be done to improve access to this vital service.
Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an exercise and education programme that helps people with lung disease manage their condition, with patients reporting an improvement in symptoms of breathlessness and being able to enjoy a better quality of life.
The programme includes physical exercises, information on looking after your body and lungs, advice on managing symptoms, nutritional information and stop-smoking advice. PR has been shown to be a highly effective treatment option for many people with lung disease.
Increasing access to PR
It is therefore no surprise that demand for PR has increased. Many services were paused during the pandemic with some PR classes cancelled and referrals stalled. Now, as services try to recover, they are having to meet the needs of an additional group of people with long COVID-related breathlessness.
Yet, investment was needed even before the pandemic to ensure better access. In 2019/2020 only 43% of the eligible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) population were referred for PR. Barriers to access can include a lack of local availability, long waiting lists, strict eligibility criteria and a general lack of awareness amongst health care professionals and patients about the benefits of this important service.
The Taskforce for Lung Health believes one solution to increase access is a multi-year investment by the NHS into PR and its workforce.
Now, as services try to recover, they are having to meet the needs of an additional group of people with long COVID-related breathlessness.
Savings for the NHS
Increasing access to PR could save the NHS millions of pounds each year and improve the wellbeing of many patients with lung disease across the country. If the eligible COPD population alone had access to pulmonary rehabilitation, the NHS could see a reduction of 150,924 GP appointments and 26,634 fewer hospital admissions per year.
As a treatment which can improve outcomes for many people with respiratory disease, ultimately we want everyone who needs PR to get the chance to participate in it.
