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Content ArticleThis report, Long COVID and speech and language therapy, looks at the mid to long-term speech and language therapy needs of people with Long COVID, the impact these difficulties have on people’s lives and the essential role that speech and language therapy plays in supporting them. Published by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), authors conclude: "The RCSLT firmly believes that any person with a communication or swallowing difficulty has a right to access high quality speech and language therapy when and where they need it. Any person with such needs after COVID-19 must receive timely, individual, person-centred rehabilitation, which will support and maximise their mental health and wellbeing, participation in society, and ability to return to work." To achieve this, the report sets out a number of recommendations at national, system and workforce levels. They also set out recommendations for raising awareness to the wider public.
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News ArticleResearchers from the 'Therapies for Long COVID (TLC) Study Group' at the University of Birmingham are studying long COVID is and what influences it by pooling data from lots of separate studies to find out the prevalence of reported symptoms and to see what the impacts and complications of long COVID are. Their review showed just how varied long COVID is. Patients may experience symptoms related to any system in the body – including respiratory, neurological and gastroenterological symptoms. The pooled data showed that the ten most commonly reported symptoms in long COVID are fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain, cough, headache, joint pain, chest pain, an altered sense of smell, diarrhoea and altered taste. Other common symptoms include “brain fog” – when thinking is fuzzy and sluggish – memory loss, disordered sleep, heart palpitations and a sore throat. Rare but important outcomes include thoughts of self-harm and suicide and even seizures. Most long COVID patients complain of symptoms experienced during their acute infection persisting beyond it, with the number of symptoms experienced tending to decline as patients move from acute to long COVID. Some, though, report developing new symptoms during their long COVID illness, while some also report symptoms reoccuring that had previously resolved themselves. What the huge variability of long COVID suggests is that it actually comprises a number of different syndromes, potentially with different underlying causes. A better understanding of the underlying biological and immunological mechanisms of long COVID is therefore urgently needed if we’re to develop effective treatments for it. Read full story Source: The Conversation, 27 July 2021
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Content ArticleThis is an online directory which signposts brain injury and stroke survivors to local services in the UK. It lists over 90 neuro support charities and outpatient community services and is searchable by address, city or postcode. It is hosted by SameYou, a charity working to develop better recovery treatment for survivors of brain injury and stroke.
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Content ArticleThe Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in dental treatments having to be planned and carried out with extreme caution, with dental facilities and staff adapting to put in place appropriate infection control measures and safety precautions. This article, published in Patient safety in surgery, provides a summary of precautionary and prophylactic measures in preventing the cross-infection and the nosocomial spread of the infection in a dental setting.
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News Article
More than 2 million people in the UK may have suffered from long Covid
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
A new survey of half a million adults in the UK has revealed more than 2 million may have suffered from long Covid. Currently, long Covid is not fully understood and its definition has not yet been agreed upon. The self-reported survey showed 37% of respondents experienced at least one symptom lasting 12 weeks or more with higher weight, smoking, lower incomes and having a chronic illness being associated with a higher chance of experiencing symptoms of long Covid. The government has issued £50m in funding for research on long Covid. Read full story. Source: BBC News, 24 June 2021 -
Content Article
Long Covid: the NHS plan for 2021/22 (15 June 2021)
Mark Hughes posted an article in Patient recovery
The Long Covid Plan 2021/22 builds on the previous five-point plan announced in October 2020 and outlines 10 key next steps to be taken by the NHS to support people living with Long Covid. The plan highlights the need for equity of access, outcomes and experience in Long Covid support, as well as committing to extending the Your COVID Recovery website, collecting and publishing data. -
News ArticleThe number of people suffering from symptoms of long covid more than a year after their initial Coronavirus infection has jumped to almost 400,000. New data from the Office for National Statistics based on a survey of patients found the numbers of patients with persistent symptoms after 12 months jumped from 70,000 in March to 376,000 in May. Overall, the ONS said an estimated one million people had self-reported signs of long Covid which last for more than four weeks. The effects of long Covid were reported to be affected the day-to-day activities of 650,000 people, with 192,000 of those saying their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been limited a lot. Fatigue was the most common symptom reported, with 547,000 people affected. A total of 405,000 people reported a shortness of breath, while 313,000 had muscle aches. More than a quarter of a million patients, 285,000 people, said they had difficulty concentrating. According to the ONS the prevalence of long Covid was higher among those aged between 35 and 69-year-old and women were more likely to be affected than men along with those living in the most deprived areas as well as staff working in health and social care. Read full story Source: The Independent, 3 June 2021
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News ArticlePeople who remain chronically ill after Covid infections in England have had to wait months for appointments and treatment at specialist clinics set up to handle the surge in patients with long Covid. MPs called on Matt Hancock, the health secretary, to explain the lengthy waiting times and what they described as a “shameful postcode lottery” which left some patients facing delays of more than four months before being assessed at a specialist centre while others were seen within days. NHS England announced in December that people with long Covid, or post-Covid syndrome, could seek help at more than 60 specialist clinics. But despite government assertions in January that the network of 69 centres was already operating, the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus found that some clinics were still not up and running three months later. Freedom of information requests submitted to NHS trusts revealed that while some clinics had opened and were seeing patients, others had been delayed by the second wave of infections in January. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 May 2021
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Content ArticleThis document informs the commissioning of post Covid services in England. It will assist local healthcare systems to plan and deliver services that meet the varied and often complex needs of people living with Long Covid and is being published alongside the NHS plan for improving Long Covid services.
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Content ArticleIn the United States many areas have returned to a 'new normal,' as the COVID-19 pandemic has come under control. In this blog, Dr Michael Ramsay, Chairman of the Board, Patient Safety Movement Foundation looks at what we learned and where we failed.
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News Article
‘It’s terrifying’: parents’ struggle to get help for children with long Covid
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
On Christmas Day, Gail Jackson’s 16-year-old daughter said she was in so much pain she thought she would die. Liliana had been briefly admitted to hospital with Covid in September. Her symptoms never went away and, as time went on, new ones had emerged. “For months she had a relentless, agonising headache, nausea, tinnitus, fatigue and insomnia, but the worst thing was the agonising nerve pain,” said Jackson. “I couldn’t even touch her without her screaming in pain.” On Christmas morning, Jackson drove to hospital with her daughter vomiting from pain in the passenger seat. When they got to the hospital, however, the A&E doctor said there was no such thing as long Covid in children. “He said she just needed to go home and get on with her life,” Jackson said. “It was jaw-dropping.” It is extremely rare for children and young people to contract severe Covid, but recent research has shown that even mild or asymptomatic infection can lead to long Covid in children. A study at UCL is investigating long Covid in 11- to 17-year-olds who were not hospitalised with the disease. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended more research to produce guidance on how children and young people are affected and how they can be treated. However, there is no case definition of long Covid in children and young people in the way there is in adults. Read full story Source: The Independent, 3 May 2021 -
Content Article
BMJ Webinar: Post-covid conditions (15 April 2021)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Resources for staff
A recording of a recent BMJ webinar for clinicians. researchers and policy makers on post-covid conditions. -
News ArticleMore than 80 new clinics to assess patients suffering with symptoms of Long Covid are to be opened by the NHS by the end of this month with an extra investment of £24m. NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said the health service must “continue to expand its offer for Long Covid” adding there will be even more funding earmarked for the problem in the future. Speaking at the Health Service Journal’s leadership congress on Wednesday, Sir Simon said: “We have 69 clinics identified last year and we will have 83 long Covid clinics in place by the end of this month, so a significant expansion there. “We will be backing that with at least £24 million revenue funding going into this New Year, up from the £10 million announced last year, and there will be more to come on the back of that as well.” Recent estimates by the Office for National Statistics found more than a million people could be experiencing long Covid beyond four weeks with 674,000 people saying it was affecting their day to day lives. Almost 200,000 people have said their ability to carry out normal activities has been severely limited by the condition. Read full story Source: The Independent, 14 April 2021
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Content ArticleSpace From Covid programme is made up of six modules, each addressing issues you may be experiencing due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Each module provides clinically-backed support for trouble sleeping, coping with stress, developing mindfulness, financial worries and experiencing grief and loss. SilverCloud is offering this service completely free of charge and for anyone to use. The average module takes 30 minutes to complete and is accessible 24/7 from a smartphone, tablet or computer.
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News Article
'Long Covid has destroyed me but I am fighting back'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Health coach Jasmine Hayer had to give up her life in London and move back in with her parents after catching Covid. Now she is focused on a twin goal - battling back to health while helping others get the right treatment for Long Covid. Dr William Man, the head of the Royal Brompton Hospital's chest clinic, started treating her in December, as part of a clinic seeing 100 severe long Covid cases in the UK. Jasmine describes it as a "complete game changer". However, she worries that other so-called "long haulers" are not getting the help they need because they face "such a battle" to be taken seriously. She decided to start a blog to document her symptoms and wants to share her story as widely as possible in the hope of helping others. "I've had messages from around the world and I was so happy to hear that one girl has shown her doctor my blog and he is giving her more tests as a result," she says. "I know how lonely and scary it is when you are fighting to be believed. You are literally on your own." Read full story Source: BBC News, 7 April 2021 -
Content ArticleIn this episode of Covid in the News, hosts Monique and Tom spoke to Ondine Sherwood, co-founder of patient advocacy and support group LongCovidSOS. They talk about the patient agenda, how community-driven research has changed since the start of the pandemic, Long Covid and policy, and the key questions to be answered in the coming months for longhaulers.
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News Article
Long Covid: More than 1 million experiencing symptoms in UK
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than one million people in the UK are suffering from signs of Long Covid, the Office for National Statistics has said. This is a significant increase in previous estimates of persistent and debilitating symptoms and follows the January surge in coronavirus infections across the UK. The ONS said a total of 1.1 million people in the UK reported experiencing Long Covid symptoms lasting beyond four weeks after infection with COVID-19 that were not explained any something else. Long Covid can include chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, so called ‘brain fog’ as well as serious organ damage to the kidneys, heart and lungs. The ONS found the symptoms were impacting on the day to day lives of 674,000 people, with almost 200,000 people reporting their ability to carry out normal activities had been severely limited. Of those reporting symptoms, almost 700,000 reported having a Covid infection in the previous three months, but 70,000 said it was over a year since their infection. Read full story Source: The Independent, 1 April 2021 -
Content ArticleFindings from this study, published in BMC Infectious Diseases, suggests that patients who recovered from COVID-19 disease may still experience COVID-19 like symptoms, particularly fatigue and headaches. Therefore, careful monitoring should be in place after discharge to help mitigate the effects of these symptoms and improve the quality of life of COVID-19 survivors.
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Content ArticleTo safeguard patient safety and the wellbeing of healthcare staff, a realistic approach to tackling the backlog of non-COVID care is needed. NHS and public health services have been running ‘hot’ for a prolonged period of time and an overstretched and exhausted workforce must now be given time to rest and recuperate as they meet the challenges ahead. If staff are being pushed too hard to restore routine care in an unrealistic timeframe and without suitable resources, the likelihood is that we will see a workforce squeeze due to a combination of increasingly high staff absence rates and staff reducing their hours or leaving the workforce altogether. This would make it harder for health services to get back on track and provide timely and safe care to patients who need it.
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Content ArticleA recent NIHR report sets out the state of knowledge on Long Covid, focussing on recent published research framed around questions of the nature and causes of Long Covid and approaches to treatment. Symptoms might include, but not be limited to brain fog, anxiety, breathlessness, fatigue, muscle pain, palpitations and chest heaviness. We still know very little about the clusters and patterns of these symptoms and what this might mean for ongoing treatment and monitoring. In this article, Tara Lamont emphasises the importance of people with Long Covid being involved in these studies pushing these issues to the forefront.
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Content ArticleThis leaflet offers guidance for workers from Occupational Health Professionals on how to manage getting back to work after COVID-19 infection and Long COVID.
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News ArticleThe NHS should start off the next financial year focusing on staff recovery and postpone ratcheting up elective recovery efforts and other long-term priorities until the second quarter, senior figures have warned. One trust chief executive said if there is an expectation from the centre that “April is the start point [for elective recovery], that will cause a massive problem”. It comes with the government and NHS England still apparently locked in negotiation over NHS funding for the financial year from 1 April, and deciding what the NHS will be asked to deliver. The CEO said: “It’s hard to think that 1 April signals a new year for the NHS. [There needs to be] a gradual decompression of our staff over the next three months as the country opens up. “If the planning guidance gets announced in the next couple of weeks with an expectation that April is the start point, that will cause a massive problem. Staff have not recovered, the vaccine programme is still ongoing, [and] there are still covid patients in all of our beds.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 18 March 2021
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Content ArticleThis report from Long Covid Support summarises patient's experiences of Long Covid.
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News ArticleLasting effects of infection from coronavirus are more common in women and children than expected, with at least 10% of people infected suffering persistent symptoms for months, a new review has found. Experts at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) examined more than 300 separate scientific studies for the analysis. It found many patients reported struggling to access testing and help from the NHS to treat their symptoms, which varied between patients, suggesting long Covid is a group of four possible syndromes affecting patients differently. The report said: “Long Covid appears to be more frequent in women and in young people (including children) than might have been expected,” adding other sufferers could be experiencing an active disease, impacting on their organs and causing debilitating symptoms that would need ongoing treatment. In some patients, the effects included neurological changes in their brains while others showed signs of blood clotting and inflammation. Other patients reported anxiety, fatigue and damage to their lungs and heart. It also warned there was evidence some long Covid patients could actually be getting worse, underlining the need to invest in services that will be needed to cope with what could be a long term problem. Read full story Source: The Independent, 16 March 2021
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Content ArticleOn Wednesday 10 March the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee of the Senedd Cymru - Welsh Parliament held an evidence session on Long COVID. They heard from the patient group Long COVID Wales, academics and professional bodies.
