A new Breathlessness service has been launched at Wimborne Hospital, hosted by Louise Hopley, a respiratory specialist physiotherapist from Lewis-Manning Hospice Care.

The expansion of care reflects the charity’s aim to provide service across the communities of Poole, East Dorset and Purbeck, bringing care closer to home for its patients.

Louise said: “We are so thrilled that we are able to run the Breathlessness service out of Wimborne Hospital. The clinic will be open on alternate Thursdays, with regular appointments available to patients needing help and support with their life-limiting condition. The first clinic will launch on 21 April.  The clinic room is perfect as it’s the first treatment room by the reception area, by the main entrance, making the accessibility for patients as easy as possible. The response to our satellite clinic in Swanage has been phenomenal and I am thrilled to be able to expand this support to Wimborne and help even more people in the community closer to their homes and make our service more accessible to those in the surrounding area.

“Breathlessness can be frightening. We help people with respiratory conditions, such as COPD and lung cancer. The clinic is very patient centred – it is about listening to each person’s journey and their individual experience of breathlessness and how it impacts their lives. The assessment is an opportunity for me to learn about what coping strategies the individual already uses and together we look at other ways to help, such as breathing techniques, positions to ease breathlessness, and fan therapy.”

To access the service, patients need to be registered with a GP surgery and any healthcare professional directly linked to your care can refer you to the Breathlessness clinic. For further information, call 01202 708470 and ask to speak to Louise or visit Lewis-Manning’s website www.lewis-manning.org.uk/better-breathing-clinic/