Patients with a chronic lung condition living in Clackmannanshire are now benefiting from a new high-tech video link between Forth Valley Royal Hospital and Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Centre.

The link means patients attending Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Centre can now participate in exercise-based rehabilitation classes taking place at Forth Valley Royal Hospital via video conferencing. Patients can also listen to education sessions about their disease with the support of a nurse from the respiratory team.

The rehabilitation classes are aimed at patients with breathing difficulty, most commonly those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The classes are run twice weekly for six weeks and are led by the respiratory nursing team and physiotherapy teams at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

Olwyn Lamont, NHS Forth Valley’s Lead Respiratory Specialist Nurse said:

 “When patients are suffering from a chronic lung condition they can find it difficult to move around or do normal daily activities without getting breathless.  Our pulmonary rehabilitation classes are designed to help patients cope with their breathlessness and to feel stronger and fitter at the same time, as well as providing professional advice in a friendly and relaxed environment.

“Bringing these classes closer to people’s homes via this new video link makes it easier for patients from Clackmannanshire to attend. We’ve already had some very positive feedback from patients and there are plans to make these classes available to patients in the Stirling area.”

Annette Boyle, a patient from Tillicoultry who has attended some of the first classes, said:

 “The new classes are absolutely brilliant.  I was trying to exercise on my own and I