Sussex clinic sites to help long Covid patients from January
It would mean patients could access specialist help
Last updated 18th Dec 2020
Clinics to help patients suffering from so-called 'long Covid' are to open in Sussex.
69 sites have now opened across the country, meaning thousands of patients suffering with the long term symptoms of coronavirus can access specialist help.
One of those is based at the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, which officers services across West Sussex, Brighton and Hove and the Lewes and High Weald areas.
Another is at First Community Health and Care, which offers community health care to northern areas of West Sussex, as well as Surrey.
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.
New research has shown one in five people with coronavirus develop longer term symptoms. Around 186,000 people suffer problems for up to 12 weeks, the Office for National Statistics found.
The new centres bring together doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to offer both physical and psychological assessments and refer patients to the right 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.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has also issued official guidance on best practice for recognising, investigating and rehabilitating patients with long 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.
“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 access vital rehabilitation, as well as helping develop a greater understanding of long covid and its debilitating symptoms.”
Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive
“In the first wave of the pandemic many people did not recover as quickly as they’d expected. We had no idea what long covid was - the world had never seen COVID-19 before. We set up the clinic in Newcastle to support patients, but it has also been invaluable in helping us understand what long covid is.
“I’m delighted that patients now have places to turn to across the country turn and on a national scale doctors will be able to learn from our collective experience and offer tailored support to patients.”
Dr Graham Burns, clinical lead at the long covid centre at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle
The NHS has also launched a long covid taskforce, with patients, charities, researchers and clinicians involved, to help lead the NHS response to long covid, produce information and support materials for patients and healthcare professionals, and develop a wider understanding of the condition.