The Fatigue and Breathlessness (FAB) course is a weekly 2 hour face-to-face group which runs for five weeks. The course is held either at St Peter's Hospice in Brentry or The Park Community Centre in Knowle.

Each of the five sessions includes education and advice on one of the following topics (Goal Setting, Activity and Movement, Energy Conservation, Breathlessness, Sleep & Appetite), along with gentle chair-based exercises and a session of relaxation.

Information is given out to all the patients, covering the topics which are discussed. Patients will be encouraged to set their own goals and participate in group discussions thereby developing valuable peer support which forms a significant element of the course. 

Referral Criteria

• The patient is experiencing fatigue and/or shortness of breath, due to a progressive life-limiting condition including heart failure, lung disease, cancer and neurological illnesses.
• The patient's normal level of oxygen is 9 l/min or less (please contact the team on 0117 915 9469 if your patient is on higher levels of oxygen – they will be assessed on an individual basis and decision made by the clinical team)
• Can transfer without the need for a hoist
• Performance status – can attend a weekly 2 hour face-to-face group for 5 weeks
• Minimum time for reattendance to the course is 12 months

In exceptional circumstances (i.e. patient is housebound or too unwell to attend the group), one-to-one phone/video calls can be offered. We would encourage all patients to attend the course where possible, as there is so much to gain from the peer support and group environment but understand there may be exceptional cases where this isn't possible.

We are unable to accept referrals for 1:1 FAB phone calls or home visits.

Referral Process

Patients can benefit from our FAB support without a general referral to the Hospice. This means that the patient will not be receiving on-going Hospice services.

Resources

Please print the course information and give it the patient. By using the accessibility toolbar on our site, you can change font sizes and colours and translate the text into more than 100 different languages before you print. You can open the toolbar by clicking on the button which has audio, font size and language symbols in the header of our website.

We have a range of resources to support people who are living with fatigue and breathlessness. Please find our information sheets and audio resources here