Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week (UK & Ireland, 15–19 June 2026)
Why this matters now
This week (15–19 June 2026) is Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week across the UK and Ireland—a time to raise awareness of a treatment that can improve lives and reduce pressure on hospitals.
At the same time, healthcare systems face record demand, with some patients receiving care in corridors because beds are not available. This is known as corridor care, meaning patients are treated in spaces not designed for safe or dignified care.
Experts say pulmonary rehabilitation could help tackle this problem.
What is pulmonary rehabilitation?
Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a programme for people with long-term lung conditions like COPD. It includes:
- Supervised exercise
- Education about managing symptoms
- Support to stay active and healthy
Programmes usually run for a number of weeks and are delivered in community settings or sometimes at home.
How does it help patients?
Pulmonary rehabilitation helps people:
- Breathe more easily
- Become stronger and more active
- Feel more confident managing their condition
- Recover better after illness
It also reduces how often people’s condition gets worse.
How does it help healthcare systems?
Pulmonary rehabilitation doesn’t just help individuals—it helps the whole health system.
Studies show that PR can:
- Reduce hospital readmissions after flare-ups [onlinelibr….wiley.com]
- Lower the risk of going back into hospital soon after discharge [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
- Help people recover faster, so they can leave hospital sooner [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
This means:
- fewer emergency admissions
- shorter hospital stays
- more beds available for those who need them
What does this mean for corridor care?
Corridor care happens when hospitals are too full.
Pulmonary rehabilitation helps by preventing some of that pressure in the first place.
If fewer people need to come into hospital—and those who do can go home sooner—there is less overcrowding.
Why focus on Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week?
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week is about showing how valuable these programmes are—but also about calling for change.
Right now, many people who would benefit from PR:
- are not referred after hospital stays
- cannot access a programme nearby
- do not complete the course
This means a proven solution is not being used enough.
What needs to happen next?
To make the most of pulmonary rehabilitation, services should:
- Offer PR to all eligible patients automatically after hospital care
- Increase the number of programmes available
- Provide flexible options (home-based or online)
- Link PR with community and discharge services
The bottom line
Pulmonary rehabilitation is a simple, effective way to help people with lung disease live better lives.
During Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week 2026, it is also a reminder that:
👉 PR can reduce hospital admissions
👉 PR can free up beds
👉 PR can help tackle corridor care
Using it more widely could benefit patients—and healthcare systems as a whole.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Awareness and Benefits 