Photo left (from left to right), Heather Moffat, Anita Devine, Sarah Friessner-Day and Bethan Wallis. Photo right (from left to right) Sarah and Anita

We've had some lovely feedback recently for our Long Covid Services at CHFT.

The Long Covid Group is a self-management programme which includes individually tailored exercises. The team who support this group are made up of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and rehabilitation assistants. The group meet twice weekly and are currently on cohort 13. 

The group's aim is to support patients with symptoms and to help them recover from the effects of long covid. The main symptoms the team support people with are:

  • Fatigue
  • Post exertional malaise
  • Brain fog and cognition issues
  • Breathlessness
  • Dysautonomia
  • Vocational rehab to enable people to get back or stay in work
  • Mental health

The team recently received some lovely feedback from Community Matron, Jenny Dyson, who said: "I have been today to shadow our local Long Covid Group. The group was nothing short of fantastic!

"A lot of skills and knowledge have built a fantastic pathway for those in our community who have long Covid. The service provides not only peer support, which to those who have long Covid can be incredibly valuable, but a place where patients feel heard, accepted and supported by professionals who understand what they are going through.

"The comprehensive topics covered provide information and empower patients to be able to control and manage symptoms and accept the new version of themselves. Those there when I attended talked about pieces of puzzles coming together and finally making sense. I was absolutely blown away with the passion, humanity and professionalism that I witnessed."

It's not only our colleagues they've impressed, with one patient saying: "The team provided an exemplary service today. We had a very instructive conversation about my condition and l left feeling understood, supported and hopeful. The NHS at its best. Thank you."

Another patient said: "The team have made such a difference in my life. I no longer feel invisible, I finally feel heard, listened to and validated. I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and I have been given a map of how to get there."

The group is in the process of moving the service partly over to a digital platform to allow patients to access information via an app. It will also enable our colleagues the opportunity to collect outcome measures and reliable data to help continue to improve the service.

*The full team include Service Lead Heather Moffat, Lead Covid Occupational Therapist Anita Devine, Lead Covid Physio Sarah Friessner-Day, Lead of Pulmonary Rehab Services Lucy Breaks, Admin Lead Laura Rogers, Lead Rehab Assistant Toni Healy and Consultant Respiratory Physician Dr Simon Ting.