Developments in services treating people for post-COVID

The Lincolnshire Post-COVID Rehabilitation Service, hosted by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) was established in December 2020 in response to the global pandemic.

The service has supported over 1,627 patients (December 2022) since it began, with 550 currently receiving treatment. This includes men, women and children.

As the needs of patients evolved, the team has expanded to provide specialists in different areas. There are now 15 staff, including physios, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, GPs, and a volunteer.

The service has received fantastic results and feedback. For example, patients said the service was wonderful, very helpful and informative and staff were kind and highly skilled.

Joshua Shaw, the service team lead said: “As little was known about COVID-19 and the long-term issues people faced, we’ve had to learn from patients and evolve to provide care in the areas they’ve asked for.

“Patients said they would benefit from peer support groups and fatigue and breathlessness (FAB) groups, so we set these up.”

The service works by bringing together rehabilitation services from Lincolnshire as well as council and voluntary services.

These multiple services meet virtually to discuss which are best placed to help patients with their recovery. Patients have a personalised care plan and receive regular contact from the team.

The service is largely virtual however patients may be seen face-to-face for treatment as required and there is now a specialist physio working in an outpatient clinic who regularly treats patients.

Developments this year have included virtual peer support groups, a self-management app, the FAB group and the creation of the Lincolnshire long COVID hub, working with NHS Charities Together. The peer support groups give patients the opportunity to talk to people going through similar issues and provides emotional and practical support. A patient said they answered a lot of their questions and helped them understand more about long COVID.

The FAB group is specifically for patients suffering from fatigue and breathlessness and offer practical exercises and information to help them understand and alleviate symptoms. A member of the group said it was helpful to meet people with similar problems as it can be very frustrating and lonely. Handouts are given so patients can practice between sessions. 

In addition, the service employed a research assistant from the University of Lincoln to complete analysis on the new groups to ensure they are performing well and getting the best possible care for patients.

The team recently won the Clinical Team of the Year award at LCHS’ Celebrating Staff Awards for their developments and achievements.

Anyone suffering with post-COVID symptoms for longer than 4 weeks can be referred to the service via their GP, or email LHNT.LCHSreferrals@nhs.net for further information.