HealthInfo Canterbury
Getting help with COPD
Your GP and practice nurse can give you information, advice, a treatment plan and medications to help you manage your COPD.
If you need to find a general practice team, you can search on this map.
Local support societies and groups
CanBreathe provides services and support to help you manage your COPD. Most services are free or very cheap. They include consultations and home visits, with follow-up support as needed and education about medications, inhalers and spacers.
Canterbury Better Breathing pulmonary rehabilitation programme
The Canterbury Better Breathing pulmonary rehabilitation programme helps you improve your breathing and fitness.
Canterbury community respiratory support and exercise groups provide informal group sessions in the community.
Specialist COPD services
In Canterbury, there are many specialist respiratory services available for people with COPD or other breathing disorders, including:
- Integrated Respiratory Nursing Service. The service provides education and advice on disease and management, pulmonary rehabilitation, and spirometry.
- Community respiratory physician. The community respiratory physician is a respiratory specialist who works alongside GPs and community groups to provide advice and support around respiratory issues.
- Cardio-Respiratory Integrated Specialist Services (CRISS). Specialist nurses work with respiratory consultants to coordinate hospital- and community-based care for people with severe lung disease. If you are eligible for oxygen at home, they also provide oxygen therapy and follow-up.
Your health professional or GP can refer you to one or more of the above services as you need them.
Christchurch Hospital or Ashburton Hospital respiratory services
- The Christchurch Hospital Respiratory Department sees people with respiratory and sleep disorders, but it usually only sees people with severe COPD. The Respiratory Physiology Laboratory does spirometry tests. It's on the 4th floor of the Riverside building.
- Ashburton Hospital has a respiratory nurse who is available two days a week to give education, advice and oxygen therapy. If necessary, your doctor will refer you to this service. A medical technician does spirometry tests in the Outpatients Department.
You may want to pay to see a private respiratory specialist. There are several specialists in Canterbury who see people with COPD.
Māori health providers
There are Māori health providers who can provide support with managing your COPD.
Pasifika health providers
There are Pasifika health providers who can provide support with managing your COPD.
Financial help
For information about funding that your GP might be able to use to reduce the cost of your health care, see Funding schemes at your general practice.
To find out about the disability allowance benefit, see Disability Allowance.
Transport and parking has information about mobility parking permits, the Total Mobility half-price taxi scheme, and other transport options.
See Keeping your home warm & dry for information about the Community Energy Action (CEA) Charitable Trust. CEA might be able to help with reduced costs for insulation and efficient heating.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Endorsed by community respiratory physician, Canterbury DHB. Last reviewed June 2021.
Review key: HICOP-16602
