MEDICAL staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital have been forced to create a rehabilitation service for patients with chronic lung disease because they cannot get funding to launch one.

The hopital's chest experts admit the service offered is not as good as one that has specific funding, but said they had to do something as the service was desperately needed.

Dr Brian Bradley, a consultant respiratory physician, said: "This is something that really benefits patients, but we haven't got the funding for it. It empowers the patients to manage their condition.

"It will also reduce admissions and the time that patients have to spend away from their family."

During the rehabilitation services, which are run on an ad-hoc basis, patients are given physiotherapy and shown exercises to help them manage their condition.

Keith Orton, aged 59 of Breightmet, has end-stage emphysema and is hooked up to oxygen for up to 20 hours a day.

He is regularly admitted to hospital because of serious breathing difficulties and believes a full rehab service would be invaluable to newly diagnosed sufferers.

Mr Orton, a founder member of the Bolton Breathe Easy group, said: "It's probably too late for me, but for people who are being diagnosed now it could be so useful. I'm so grateful to staff for the service they have launched themselves, but we really need funding to launch a full service."

Last year more than 600 people were admitted to the hospital with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - the highest number ever.

Between April, 2004, and March, 2005, 462 people were admitted with COPD attacks.

The main cause of the disease is smoking and experts at the hospital estimate as many as 3,200 people in the borough suffer from it.

In Bolton 29.6 per cent of people smoke, compared to the national average of 27 per cent, and in some areas smoking prevalence can be as high as 65 per cent.