Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a personalised exercise and education programme for patients with lung conditions. It aims to help you manage your breathlessness and gradually increase your fitness level.
The programme takes place over 8 weeks and consists of education and exercise class 2 times a week.
Our PR programme is run by an expert team at Harefield Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital. The team includes:
a chest physician
respiratory physiotherapists
exercise physiologists
exercise practitioners
The team is supported by a psychologist, occupational therapist, dietitian, pharmacist and welfare officer.
We're one of the largest and leading rehabilitation programmes in the UK, with more than 1,200 referrals per year. We were the first clinical service to receive full national accreditation in the UK.
Our consultants
Appointments
You'll have an initial face-to-face assessment at Harefield Hospital or Royal Brompton Hospital. Appointments take place Monday to Friday between 9am to 4pm. We also have weekend appointments available.
How to get an appointment
We accept referrals from GPs and other health professionals, such as consultants, physiotherapists and nurses.
Who can be referred
Any respiratory patient with limiting breathlessness can be referred.
We also offer specialist pulmonary rehabilitation for lung transplant recipients and patients recovering from lung cancer surgery.
Making a referral
Please submit a referral via the NHS e-referral service (e-RS), or complete the pulmonary rehabilitation referral form (Word 112KB) and email it to us.
For urgent referrals, please mark the urgent box on the e-RS or referral form.
We offer a rapid access service for patients who have recently been discharged from hospital after an exacerbation (worsening) of their lung condition. We offer these patients an appointment within 2 weeks of referral, and they begin the programme within 2 weeks of their appointment.
For more information about pulmonary rehabilitation after an exacerbation, download our leaflet.
Changing or cancelling your appointment
If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please contact us. You can also change or cancel your appointment through the MyChart patient app.
MyChart is our patient app that makes accessing your health records and see upcoming appointments easier. Learn more about MyChart.
Before your appointment
We'll ask you to complete some questionnaires which you’ll receive by post or through MyChart. Completing the questionnaires before your appointment saves time and helps us understand your symptoms, activity levels and abilities.
Please bring:
your completed questionnaires, if not completed using MyChart
a list of medicines you take
any prescribed reliever inhalers or sprays
ambulatory oxygen, if you use it
a water bottle
Please wear:
light, comfortable clothing
flat shoes or trainers suitable for exercise
During your appointment
You'll see a member of our pulmonary rehabilitation team for an assessment.
During the assessment, we’ll see how well your lungs are working, and assess your balance, walking and leg strength. We’ll also check your blood pressure, oxygen levels and body weight and height.
The assessment lasts around 90 minutes. We will give you rest breaks as needed.
After your appointment
After the assessment, we'll discuss the options for completing your pulmonary rehabilitation programme.
The programme takes place over 8 weeks and consists of education and exercise classes 2 times a week for 90 minutes. Classes are held face to face and online. We also offer at-home programmes with telephone support.
Face to face classes take place at the following locations:
For more information about the programme, download the ‘Your pulmonary rehabilitation course’ leaflet.
Contact us
If you have any questions about your appointment, please call us between 8am and 4pm. We'll answer any messages left on our answerphone or sent by email within 24 hours Monday to Friday.
Phone: 01895 828 851
Email: gstt.harefieldpr@nhs.net
Address:
Pulmonary rehabilitation department, Harefield Hospital, Hill End Road, Harefield, Middlesex, UB9 6JH.
Physiotherapy department, Royal Brompton Hospital, Fulham Wing, Dovehouse Street, London, SW3 6HP.
For information about how to get to our hospitals, visit our directions pages for Harefield Hospital or Royal Brompton Hospital