Breathlessness Service

Breathlessness caused by illness is a difficult symptom to manage. It can impact all areas of people’s lives and make day to day tasks difficult. It can also affect the lives of family and friends and can be very frightening and distressing.

At Lewis Manning’s Breathlessness Service we provide individual holistic assessments for people living with breathlessness. We listen to what it is like for the person struggling with their breathing, and for those who care for them, with the aim of helping them live more comfortably with their symptom.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT AT MY APPOINTMENT

Once we receive your referral, we will contact you by telephone.
You can choose to have your appointment via telephone, video call or face to face.
Your assessment can last up to an hour but can be shorter to suit you and your condition.
You will have time to share your experience of breathlessness.
You will have access to advice about techniques to help you manage your breathlessness, including breathing exercises, positions of ease, fan therapy and managing associated anxiety or panic.

WHERE IS THE SERVICE OFFERED?

We have clinics in Purbeck, Wimborne and Poole. In some instances, we are able to see people at home.

Who is the clinic for & how do I get referred?

People will need to be registered with a GP surgery within East Dorset or Purbeck. They will have a diagnosed reason for their breathlessness and find their breathlessness difficult to manage in-spite of treatment (See referral form for more details).

Referrals will need to be made via a health professional involved in the care of the person. We have more information for healthcare professionals here.

If you would like to be referred to this service, please speak to your GP or nurse.

To find out more about the Breathlessness Service please contact Lewis Manning Hospice Care on 01202 708470 and ask to speak to the Breathlessness Service team or email admissions.lewismanning@nhs.net

Click to Download the Breathlessness Service referral form

Will I be charged for this service?

There is no cost to the patient to attend our Breathlessness Service but we encourage people to donate however much they can, so that we can keep offering our extraordinary palliative care. As a registered charity, we rely heavily on the local community’s help, support and donations to keep Lewis-Manning Hospice Care running as we only receive 21% funding from the NHS.

If you wish to make a donation to support our work, please click here. For more information on our Breathlessness Service please contact a member of our team on 01202 708470 or email,enquiries@lewis-manning.org.uk.