Service available in:
Who we are
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service supports patients who have been diagnosed with a long-term lung condition. This includes but is not limited to COPD, Asthma, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) and Bronchiectasis.
When you develop a lung condition most people find that it can get more difficult to do the normal day-to-day activities without getting breathless. Getting out of breath can be very frightening and can make you feel quite anxious which makes your breathlessness worse. You may find that you start to avoid doing activities which make you breathless and over time this can cause you to become less fit, more tired and more breathless. Pulmonary Rehabilitation can help to break this vicious cycle.
The main aim of pulmonary rehabilitation is to help you cope with being short of breath and lessen the fear and feeling of breathlessness. We aim to help you improve your ability to exercise and general strength, helping you to feel fitter and stronger. Our service can also help you to:
- understand more about your condition
- cope with your lung condition
- feel more confident
- Iive a more active life.
Who is our service for?
The St Helens Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service is available for patients registered with a St Helens GP who have been diagnosed with a long-term lung condition.
We work closely with GPs, the St Helens Community COPD Nursing Services and Respiratory Consultants at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
You can be referred to the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service by your GP, practice nurse, community matron, consultant, COPD nurse or any other healthcare professional. (For healthcare professionals, guidance on referral criteria can be obtained by contacting the team on the contact details below).
Once we have received your referral, we will contact you by letter or phone to arrange an appointment with one of our physiotherapists.
The team are currently based at the O’Hanlon centre however we also operate from Lowe House HCRC and Newton Community Hospital with groups and clinics running on all 3 sites. The addresses for these 3 locations are as follows:
The O'Hanlon Centre
Peasley Cross Hospital
Marshalls Cross Road
St Helens
WA9 3DE
Lowe House HCRC
103 Crab Street
St Helens
WA10 2DJ
Newton Community Hospital
Bradlegh Road
Newton-le-willows
WA12 8RB
Tel: 01744 415 560
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm
our first appointment will last for approximately one and a half hours. At this appointment we will talk to you about your lung condition, how you are managing, your general health and find out if you are taking any medications; we will also need to check your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels. An assessment of your overall fitness will then be completed if appropriate with two walking tests.
You will have the opportunity to set any personal goals that you want to achieve from attending pulmonary rehab.
If you would like to know more about the pulmonary rehab service and what we offer then please follow the below link to view our patient information leaflet.