Ambitious Caring Together
Health Your
News from Rotherham’s hospital and community health services
August - October 2019 Isssue 2 September 2025
Pulmonary rehabilitation is an exercise and education programme for people living with a lung condition who experience symptoms of breathlessness. So far, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s pulmonary rehab programme has been delivered across eight weeks at BreathingSpace, a community site at Badsley Moor Lane. At BreathingSpace, the course is led by NHS colleagues including physiotherapists and health care support workers. Now, with funding support from the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and a partnership with Places Leisure, a maintenance programme has entered a pilot. The pilot offers patients the opportunity to continue exercising in an instructor lead programme, which will run for 12 weeks until October 2026. The new second phase emphasises patients being able to self-manage their condition in the community. It runs out of Places Leisure Maltby and Rotherham. After completing phase two, patients have a lifetime offer to become full time members of the gym at a 30% discounted rate.
Pulmonary Rehab phase two extends support for breathless patients
Melissa Peters (centre) with Stephen Gilboy and Hollie Webb
If the pilot is successful, the extended pulmonary rehab programme could be further rolled out to Places Leisure’s Rotherham site. Phase one of the programme is lead by Clinical Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist, Melissa Peters: “Phase two will be great for patients to continue improving their own health within a supportive environment. For them, this should hopefully lead to improvements in their quality of life including a better ability to manage everyday activities and potential reductions in chest infections.”
The pulmonary rehab programme supports patients being managed in the community by their GPs. It is also there for patients who need it to support their safe discharge back into the community after a stay in hospital.
Respiratory conditions such as COPD and asthma have a higher prevalence in Rotherham than the national average. This gives programmes like pulmonary rehab increased importance and value to the town’s community.
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