Bentham residents struggling with chronic lung conditions now have access to a programme of Pulmonary Rehabilitation thanks to the Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT).
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme is being delivered in Bentham Town Hall, bringing evidence-based, best practice treatment to the doorstep of Bentham residents who are troubled by breathlessness.
This week is National Pulmonary Rehab Awareness Week (15 to 19 June) and information is being shared on social media (please see the links at the end of this story).
Pulmonary Rehabilitation gives residents back their confidence to exercise and take control of their breathlessness. The course runs twice weekly for six weeks at Bentham Town Hall.
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation ‘Rural Team’, consisting of Jodie Birch, Respiratory Physiotherapist, Jonathan Oliphant, Respiratory Occupational Therapist, and Debbie Singleton, Respiratory Nurse, provides educational talks after each exercise class to help people to manage aspects of their condition day-to-day, such as medication, diet and energy, supporting residents to live well with their lung condition.
Completing a course of Pulmonary Rehabilitation leads to improvements in breathlessness, walking distance, mood, better self-management, as well as reducing flare-ups of the condition and use of urgent or emergency NHS services.
Despite its many benefits, accessing a local Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme is a well-recognised problem in England. Morecambe Bay has its own additional challenges of vast geography and poor rural public transport.
In 2025/6 and again in 2026/7 the Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network, led by Dr Pat Haslam, was awarded funding to expand UHMBT's Community Respiratory Team.
Karen Donaldson, Community Respiratory Team Lead, has a passion for increasing access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation and has driven these changes to deliver an increase in the provision of Pulmonary Rehabilitation to underserved communities of Morecambe Bay where, historically, uptake of existing Pulmonary Rehabilitation programmes for rural residents is low.
In the last year, they have travelled to the corners of Morecambe Bay to successfully deliver new neighbourhood Pulmonary Rehabilitation programmes to residents in Millom, Windermere and Ulverston. This month they are delighted to have brought Pulmonary Rehabilitation to Bentham for the very first time, helping patients with conditions such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Karen said: “We are delighted to see Pulmonary Rehabilitation reaching more of our patients in communities like Bentham. Bringing this service closer to home means patients can get the support they need to manage their breathlessness and regain confidence in their daily lives.
“Expanding these services across Morecambe Bay means more patients can avoid unnecessary hospital visits and stay well for longer. It is fantastic to see the difference this programme makes in terms of helping people to take control of their health and live more independently.”
In addition to local Pulmonary Rehabilitation programmes, the Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network expansion of the Community Respiratory Team, has funded the creation of two additional services to improve access to Specialist Respiratory across Morecambe Bay:
- The Respiratory Rehab@Home service provide home-delivered courses of pulmonary Rehabilitation for those who cannot leave their house due to the severity of their Lung condition, or earlier access to Pulmonary rehabilitation after leaving hospital following a flare-up of COPD. The team of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and support staff drive to people's homes to deliver physical rehabilitation, support people to improve their breathlessness, energy and mood and adjust medical treatments to improve the management of the person's lung condition.
- The Advanced Respiratory Care at Home (ARCH) service brings hospital-style respiratory treatments and expert respiratory professionals to the homes of those with very severe respiratory needs (including people with neuromuscular disease, those on home ventilation or approaching the end of life). The team of Advanced Nurses, Physios and OT, with the support of hospital-based Respiratory Specialist Doctor & Consultant, also support transfers of care home from hospital for those with high levels of respiratory needs in the final days of life.
This investment into local Respiratory Services is an excellent example of how NHS care is moving towards delivering more services in our neighbourhoods and homes, to provide better access to specialist treatments for the residents of Morecambe Bay.
More information on the Community Respiratory Team and how to access Pulmonary Rehabilitation is on the UHMBT website.
For more on Pulmonary Rehab Awareness Week go to: Pulmonary Rehab Awareness @pulmonaryrehab@bsky) (@prwukee) / X