Patients with long term lung conditions have benefited from healthcare and support closer to home thanks to a pilot project in East Cardiff.
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation programme, which was previously only available at University Hospital Llandough, has been trialled by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in the local community.
The pilot took place in Rumney Primary Care Centre where eight patients with a long term lung condition were selected to participate.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is an individualised treatment programme of exercise and education for people with long-term lung conditions which combines physical exercise sessions with discussion and advice on lung health, designed to help patients manage their symptoms.
The pilot was undertaken to make the programme more patient centred and to enable patients to access the support available in a setting more convenient to them than a hospital.
Wendy Winser from Llanedeyrn took part in the pilot project after being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
She said “I think mentally and emotionally the course has helped. When I was first diagnosed with COPD I looked it up on the internet and I horrified myself because I didn’t understand exactly what it meant. Coming on the course it was all explained and I felt better in myself. I now know what I can do and not do and how to go about doing it. I learnt how to breathe properly and simple things just like going up the stairs.
“I think my attitude to the disease is now far better because I went on the course. Before it I thought my life was over as I was always active and didn’t know how I would cope, even with work. I didn’t think it would be much of a life. The course changed my outlook completely and I would 100% recommend it to anyone else who needs it.
“My experience in one word is fantastic and knowledge of my condition is the key thing I have taken away from it.”
The community based Pulmonary Rehabilitation pilot helped to improve patients’ understanding of their disease, promote self management of their condition, reduce breathlessness and increase exercise capacity, reduce feelings of isolation and offer opportunities for increased psychological support.
Previously based in a hospital environment, it was found that attendance rates were lower due to the difficulty with some patients accessing the location. The community based initiative saw an average attendance of 85% compared to the hospital attendance of 76%, with all community based patients attending the first and last sessions.
Dr Ramsey Sabit, Clinical Lead for the project said: “This pilot programme has focused on the approach of putting the patient first and enabling them to access the plan in a location more convenient for them.
“This has in turn reduced waiting times and waiting lists for the programme and has meant that more patients access the entire eight week programme, with some participants wishing it was longer.
“It has also meant that staff can develop relationships with patients during their treatment and allows them to improve their knowledge, skills and training in a community based setting.
“Our next steps are to continue to deliver further programmes in East Cardiff with a view to expanding this to other areas within Cardiff and Vale so that more patients can benefit from this community based approach.”
The programme, which takes place over eight weeks, received positive feedback from participants who told us they have a better understanding of their condition, feel more able to deal with the daily stresses of life, are aware of the impact of their diet, can carry out an increased level of physical activity and feel more confident in dealing with their condition day to day.
Patients are referred to the Pulmonary Rehabilitation programme by their GP.
