Course bids to improve breathing problems

The eight-week pulmonary rehabilitation programme is being run by Bradford and Airedale Community Health Services across five venues in the district but there is a shortage of patients taking up places in Ilkley.

Patients who are eligible for the course include those with a confirmed diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis and chronic asthma.

Jude Greaves-Newall, pulmonary rehabilitation clinical lead for NHS Bradford and Airedale, said: "This programme has been offered for two years now, however, over the past six months we have noticed that referrals of patients who would be most likely to attend our Ilkley venue have been low and we are not sure why.

"The British Lung Foundation has acknowledged the enormous health benefits and improvement to the quality of life for these patients and so it is really important that we keep this service up and running in the Ilkley area.

"People with COPD often walk very slowly and have to keep stopping due to breathlessness. The vast majority of our participants say the programme really improves their quality of life including how they do their daily tasks. Participants learn how to manage their condition much better, and feel more in control of their illness."

All patients taking part in the programme need an appointment to be pre-assessed.

People interested in joining the course need to contact their GP.

The next Ilkley programme is planned for February at Springs Medical Centre, Springs Lane.

COPD, which is the fifth biggest killer in the UK, is an umbrella term for a group of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and small airways disease. For more information contact 01274 322161.