Pulmonary Rehabilitation

people using gym equipment

Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) is a programme of exercise and education for patients with chronic lung disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiectasis, and interstitial lung disease. Each programme is individually tailored to each patient. A course of PR usually lasts six to eight weeks, with two sessions of about two hours each week. It is delivered in two different venues across Sutton.

Jubilee Health Centre, SM6 0HY: Monday and Wednesday 10am -12noon and 11am -1pm

Granfer’s community Centre, SM1 3AA: Tuesday and Thursday 12.30pm - 2.30pm

We will discuss and make sure you are enrolled to attend classes at your preferred venue which is easily accessible for you. You’ll be in a group with other people too.

Who We Are

We are a dedicated, multidisciplinary team of respiratory specialist physiotherapists, nurses, occupational therapists, and rehabilitation assistants.

Our mission is to empower you to live a healthier, more active life through a  caring and personalised approach to Pulmonary Rehabilitation. We provide our service at two convenient locations in Sutton.

Overview of the service

Whilst Pulmonary Rehabilitation will not heal or cure your lung condition, it can help you do more despite this. For example, walk further and manage daily tasks easier.

Participating in Pulmonary rehabilitation will help you to:

  • Improve breathlessness
  • Improve general health and level of fitness
  • Improve muscle strength
  • Improve ability to carry out daily tasks
  • Gain a better understanding of lung diseases
  • Better control your symptoms
  • Improve the level of confidence and quality of life you have.

Who can access this service?

Patients referred to Pulmonary Rehabilitation need to meet the following criteria:

  • Confirmed chronic respiratory diagnosis (COPD, Asthma, Bronchiectasis, Interstitial Lung Disease)
  • Limited functional ability due to breathlessness (usually MRC breathlessness grade 3 or above)
  • Following hospital admission with an exacerbation of lung disease.

And:

  • Patients who are on optimal medical management
  • Agreeable to be referred and can commit to attending twice a week for 6 weeks.

This service is not suitable for patients who are:

  • Unable to walk more than 4m independently (with or without a walking aid)
  • Unable to follow simple commands (in a group environment)
  • Known uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmias
  • Unstable cardiovascular disease (e.g., unstable angina, severe aortic stenosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm >5.5cm)
  • Severe locomotor disease preventing the patient from being able to exercise at a moderate intensity (severe arthritis, peripheral vascular disease, CVA).

Team members involved in patient care

The team members who could be involved in patient care are:

Respiratory specialist physiotherapists, Respiratory specialist nurse, Respiratory specialist Occupational therapist and a rehabilitation assistant.

 

What to expect

A PR course usually starts with an assessment of your respiratory problems, general health and your current functional status.

The PR team will ask questions related to your health problems to understand your health better so that they can tailor and guide your sessions to get the best out of the course. You will be also encouraged to do walk tests to understand your oxygen levels and problems on exertion. This will also help the PR team to tailor their exercise prescription to meet your ability in a safe way.

During the course, you will spend half the time exercising and the other half for self-management education talks. While exercising, getting out of breath is part of the therapy. But don’t worry, 2 members of the PR team will be there throughout the session to support you to get through the session who will also adjust the exercises to work at the safe level for you.

Some examples of the exercises are as given below. They are taken from the Asthma Lung UK ‘Keep Active exercise booklet’ which will be given to you on your first exercise session.

illustration of a person using weights  illustration of a person squatting

Following the exercise session, you will be attending talks by professionals involved in your care and learn about topics related to managing your lung condition such as:

  • Why to exercise with a lung condition
  • Breathlessness management includes breathing exercises
  • Inhaler technique and medications
  • Eating well with a lung condition
  • Identifying signs of flare ups and managing flare ups
  • Anxiety and stress management
  • Managing activities of daily living with a lung condition
  • Travelling with a lung condition
  • How to clear secretions in lung condition
  • Information about home oxygen therapy
  • What’s available on completion of PR programme to continue activities in the community

Is patient self-referral available?

Yes, we accept self referrals only for those who have previously completed the programme over a period of 12 months. Patients should contact the SPOR to make a self referral and it will be triaged by a clinician to identify if it’s appropriate to be accepted to the service.

All new patients will need to be referred to Pulmonary Rehabilitation by either your GP, hospital respiratory team or another health care professional.

Is transport provided?

No, patients will need to provide their own transport.

Are home visits available?

Pulmonary rehabilitation programme is a structured program designed to deliver at clinic setting to achieve its benefits of improving breathlessness and quality of life.

Due to limited evidence around benefits of home based pulmonary rehabilitation, our service does not offer a comprehensive home based pulmonary rehabilitation programme. However, for those who are housebound following recent illness/exacerbation, if they are motivated and identified SMART goals to participate in pulmonary rehabilitation programme, we offer once a week, up to 6- 8 week sessions at home with an aim to enable them to attend the clinic based programme.

Parking

Jubilee health centre:

Venue car park is free for all users and blue badge holders. It’s located in front of the building

  • Shotfield Pay & Display Car Park is available within 200m: Blue Badge parking bay(s) available within the car park.
  • On Street marked Blue Badge bays are not available.
  • Clearly signed and / or standard marked parking bays are not available.
  • There is a designated drop off point located to the left of the main entrance.

Granfer’s Community centre:

  • Pay and display parking available
  • Disable parking bay
  • Buses to and from Sutton Green

Patient stories and our response

Your Voice Matters

We continuously gather feedback from our patients through surveys, focus groups, and direct comments. Your insights are essential, and this website was developed with your valuable input.

Patient Testimonials

Here are some of the stories and comments shared by our patients:

"I would like to say fantastic staff Who are delivering the program very well" - 2025

"I hope GPs are made aware of how helpful this service is to patients with respiratory problems. I have advised my GP how good the course is." — 2025

"I think the gym that I attended was excellent, staff really friendly and kind patience. Always ready to help, show you to do exercises. Brilliant." — 2025

"You get out, what you put in. I really enjoyed the classes handouts. I find it very beneficial, the encouragement to exercise is great too. excellent, enjoyed everyone very lovely." — 2025

“The programme exceeded my expectations. The education sessions were clear and informative, and I especially liked learning about the benefits of PR. ” - 2024

“Being part of a supportive group made me feel less alone in managing my condition.”- 2024

“The caring approach of the team truly helped me improve my daily life.”- 2024

“I was able to complete a 5-mile charity walk after finishing the programme—something I never thought possible.”- 2024

You said, We did 2024
What You Said
What We Did
What We’re Still Working On
"I wasn’t given much information about PR when I was referred."
Created an SWL PR information leaflet and shared it with GPs. 
Developing a website to provide accessible referral and patient information, co-designed with our patient engagement group.
"The education pamphlets are helpful, but could we have larger prints and more visuals?"
Updated local pamphlets with input from the patient engagement group.
Revising five more sections of educational handouts  for enhanced visuals.
“Why” exercise completed; large-print, reader-friendly versions now available.
Updated presentation with more visuals.
"It’d be great to hear about the benefits of PR earlier in the programme—it’d help keep me motivated."
Improved the written exercise plan to make it more goal-specific for motivation.
Ongoing discussions with clinicians to ensure integration.
Working on improving our PR information leaflet which we give out at their first face to face assessment.
"I didn’t know what to wear or what exercises we’d be doing—I could’ve used more info."
 Created an information sheet to provide clear guidance about clothing and exercises.
Working on improving our PR information leaflet to include all relevant information 
"It would be useful to have a group to share feedback ''
Established a patient engagement group called  Get Up and Breathe Better.
Encouraging more patients to join the group.
"I wish the programme ran longer, or we had a way to continue after the six weeks."
Unfortunately, we are unable to extend the programme 
We called for volunteers to set up exercise classes in the community when we had some funding. Unfortunately, there was no uptake of the offer.
Introduced home exercise record which we give out at the first week of the programme which would empower to continue exercises once there finish the classes. 

Your feedback helps us continually refine our service, ensuring that we provide a caring, effective, and patient-centred experience. Thank you for being part of our journey and for helping us improve every day.

Get up and breathe better

Once you complete our Pulmonary Rehabilitation programme, you're invited to join  Get Up and Breath Better—a supportive, collaborative group that meets every 6 weeks.

In these meetings, patients and staff come together to:

  • Discuss Improvement Opportunities: Share your experiences and ideas on how to enhance the programme.
  • Collaborate on Initiatives: Work together to create positive changes within our service.
  • Stay Connected: Continue building supportive relationships with peers who understand your journey.

Example Initiative:
One project we co-produced with our group is the development of this very website, ensuring that our service remains patient-centred and responsive to your needs.

How to Join:
If you have completed the Pulmonary Rehabilitation programme, you are eligible to join Get Up and Breath Better. Please speak to our team for more details on how to sign up.