Contact details

Respiratory Admin 0118 322 6676

TB Administrator 0118 322 6882

Respiratory CPAP Voicemail Service 0118 322 7954

Address

Level 2, South Block
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Craven Road
Reading
Berkshire RG1 5AN

Patient information leaflets

Respiratory

Our Respiratory Department specialises in diagnosing and treating a wide range of chest and lung conditions. We care for patients with common respiratory illnesses such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as more complex conditions, including lung cancer and tuberculosis (TB). We also assess symptoms such as a persistent cough or shortness of breath.

Alongside this, we offer expert care for sleep‑related breathing disorders, including sleep apnoea.

Our dedicated pulmonary function laboratory provides a comprehensive range of breathing tests to support diagnosis and guide personalised treatment plans.

Clinics and Services

All clinics run Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm. All appointments must be pre‑booked.

BCG and Tuberculosis Clinic

The Royal Berkshire TB Service provides an outpatient service for individuals with suspected, confirmed latent or active TB.

Our team is also available to offer advice to healthcare professionals and GPs.

Our specialist team delivers holistic, patient‑centred care, including support for those with complex needs and children (in partnership with paediatric teams).

We offer:

  • Face‑to‑face appointments
  • Telephone consultations
  • Home visits where appropriate
  • Ongoing support throughout treatment

TB nurse specialists also care for patients admitted to hospital with TB.

We provide screening for people who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with TB or who are concerned about possible exposure. Our team is also available to offer advice to the public, healthcare professionals, and GPs.

BCG vaccination is provided only to individuals who meet the criteria set out in the NICE guidelines and the Green Book.

Please note: We do not offer TB screening for travel, visa, or immigration purposes.

Overseas patients

Visitors to England are not charged for TB treatment.

For more details, please see our Overseas Visitors page

Outpatient Respiratory Physiotherapy Service

Our specialist Respiratory Physiotherapy team provides comprehensive support for patients with a wide range of breathing conditions.

While primarily based at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, our physiotherapists also run clinics at:

  • West Berkshire Community Hospital
  • Bracknell Healthspace
  • Townlands Hospital

Referrals are accepted from hospital specialists and GPs. Patients may be referred for individual physiotherapy appointments or for Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

These are the structured programmes designed to improve breathing, physical function, and overall quality of life.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Classes:

Pulmonary Rehabilitation takes place at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and Palmer Park Leisure Centre.

The classes are on a  Monday and Wednesday from 2pm until 4pm. Programme are organised in a rolling capacity to keep wait times as short as possible. We also offer a cohorted Virtual programme. Referrals to the service can be made by any healthcare professional.

The Royal Berkshire Hospital class is based in Inpatient Therapies, Level 1 Battle Block. We recommend patients follow the signs to Whitley Ward. There is a buggy from the main entrance that can be accessed to the lifts on Level 2. Wheelchairs are available in areas such as the car park to support patients. Other entrances closer to the class can be used as preferred. Please discuss this further with the Physio Team if you have any questions about accessing your appointments.

The Palmer Park class is based in Studio 2 at the leisure centre on Wokingham Road. Parking is available for free for 3hours including disabled spaces. The access is step free with a lift to support getting to Level 2. 

Referrals:

If you are working in Primary Care, please complete a referral vis ERS. If you are working in Secondary Care please refer via an EPR message to CAT11.
 
If you are a patient and wish to contact the team please call 0118-322-6676 for CAT11 who can share messages with the Team or email pulmonary.rehabilitation@royalberkshire.nhs.uk .

If you have any complaints:

Please access PALS page for further guidance.

Sleep Unit

Our Respiratory Sleep Unit carries out diagnostic sleep studies and provides ongoing care for patients with suspected sleep apnoea.

Our team offers:

  • Comprehensive sleep assessments
  • Monitoring during diagnostic studies
  • Support with starting, using, and troubleshooting non‑invasive ventilation (NIV) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapies

We accept referrals from GPs and hospital consultants.

Consultant sleep clinics take place on Thursday mornings at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. During these clinics, patients receive detailed assessments and personalised treatment recommendations from our specialist sleep team