Chelsea provides specialist access for patients suffering with Post COVID symptoms
24 March 2021
The Trust is delighted to be one of more than 60 sites across England, providing support for patients suffering with long term symptoms of coronavirus. The service opened this week.
The Post COVID Service opened today and is accepting referrals from GPs.
The Trust is delighted to be one of more than 60 sites across England providing support for patients suffering from long-term symptoms of coronavirus—commonly known as Long COVID, or as it is now called, Post COVID.
The assessment centres are taking referrals from GPs for people experiencing brain fog, anxiety, depression, breathlessness, fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms.
NHS England has provided £10 million for the network of clinics, which started opening last month. There are now 69 clinics operating across the country, with hundreds of patients already receiving help.
New research has shown that one in five people with coronavirus develop longer-term symptoms. Around 186,000 people suffer from problems for up to 12 weeks, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The new centres bring together doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists to offer both physical and psychological assessments and refer patients to the appropriate treatment and rehabilitation services.
Ten sites are now operational in London, seven in the East of England, eight in the Midlands, South East, and South West, respectively, nine in the North West, and a further 18 across the North East and Yorkshire.
A further 12 sites will be launched in January in the East Midlands, Lancashire, Cornwall, and the Isle of Wight.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has today also issued official guidance on best practices for recognising, investigating, and rehabilitating patients with Long COVID (Post COVID).
Patients can access services if they are referred by a GP or another healthcare professional so that doctors can first rule out other possible underlying causes for symptoms.
Sir Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive, said: “The NHS is taking practical action to help patients suffering ongoing health issues as a result of coronavirus. Bringing expert clinicians together in these clinics will deliver an integrated approach to support patients in accessing vital rehabilitation, as well as helping develop a greater understanding of Long COVID and its debilitating symptoms.”
Dr Roger Chinn, Trust Medical Director, said: “We are continuously learning about the impact of coronavirus infection on those who have been affected. While many patients experience no ongoing issues, a minority will have a variety of continued health problems known as Post COVID (Long COVID).
“We have set up Post COVID services using the expertise of our primary care, community, mental health, and acute providers to be able to respond to these patients’ needs in a timely and efficient manner.”