[D66] Britse regering zet klinieken op voor patienten met 'Post-Covid Syndrome' (Wuhan Coronavirus 2019-nCoV #352)

[Dr. Marc-Alexander Fluks]

[Terwijl we in Nederland hopeloos achter de feiten blijven aanlopen en 
maar wat zitten te zeiken over de mondmaskers, piramides en 
staafdiagrammen van ene Van Dissel, zet de Britse regering klinieken op 
voor mensen die aan het 'Post-Covid Syndrome' leiden (een groot gedeelte 
van de mensen die Covid-19 kregen, lijdt vervolgens aan PCS). In 
Nederland wordt nogal minachtend gedaan over de politiek van de Britse 
conservatieven maar deze lopen mijlen voor op al die zogenaamde 
progressieven in eigen land. Men kan zich hoogstens afvragen of 10 
miljoen pond in 2020 wel genoeg zij.]

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Bron:  National Health Service (NHS)
Datum: 7 oktober 2020
URL:   https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/10/nhs-to-offer-long-covid-help/


NHS to offer 'long covid' sufferers help at specialist centres
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People suffering 'long covid' symptoms will be offered specialist help 
at clinics across England, the head of the NHS announced today.

Respiratory consultants, physiotherapists, other specialists and GPs 
will all help assess, diagnose and treat thousands of sufferers who have 
reported symptoms ranging from breathlessness, chronic fatigue, 'brain 
fog', anxiety and stress.

Increasing medical evidence and patient testimony is showing that a 
small but significant minority of people who contract Covid cannot shake 
off the effects of the virus months after initially falling ill. Some 
estimates suggest that 10% of Covid patients may still be experiencing 
symptoms more than three weeks after infection, and perhaps 60,000 
people could be suffering from long covid symptoms after more than three 
months.

Speaking at the NHS Providers conference today (Wednesday), NHS chief 
executive Sir Simon Stevens will announce that 10 million pounds is be 
invested this year in additional local funding to help kick start and 
designate long covid clinics in every area across England, to complement 
existing primary, community and rehabilitation care.

Sir Simon said new network will be a core element of a five-part package 
of measures to boost NHS support for long covid patients:

1. New guidance commissioned by NHS England from NICE by the end of 
October on the medical 'case definition' of longcovid. This will include 
patients who have had Covid who may not have had a hospital admission or 
a previous positive test. It will be followed by evidence-based NICE 
clinical guidelines in November on the support that long covid patients 
should receive, enabling NHS doctors, therapists and staff to provide a 
clear and personalised treatment plan. This will include education 
materials for GPs and other health professionals to help them refer and 
signpost patients to the right support.

2. The 'Your Covid Recovery' - an online rehab service to provide 
personalised support to patients. Over 100,000 people have used the 
online hub since it launched in July, which gives people general 
information and advice on living with long Covid. Phase 2 of the digital 
platform being developed this Autumn by the University of Leicester will 
see people able to access a tailored rehabilitation plan. This will 
enable patients to set goals for their mental and physical health, 
provide peer to peer support through social community forums, offer an 
'ask the expert' facility for patients to contact their local rehab 
service, and allow patients to be monitored by their local rehab teams 
to ensure that they are on track with their care.
This service will be available to anyone suffering symptoms that are 
likely due to COVID-19, regardless of location or whether they have 
spent time in hospital. It is most likely that patients will access the 
service through their GP, but they could also be referred through 
another healthcare professional following assessment.

3. Designated Long Covid clinics, as announced today. This will involve 
each part of the country designating expert one-stop services in line 
with an agreed national specification. Post-covid services will provide 
joined up care for physical and mental health, with patients having 
access to:
- A physical assessment, which will include diagnostic testing, to 
identify any potential chronic health issues.
- A cognitive assessment, to assess any potential memory, attention, and 
concentration problems.
- A psychological assessment, to see if someone is suffering potentially 
from depression, anxiety, PTSD, or another mental health condition.
Patients could also then be referred from designated clinics into 
specialist lung disease services, sleep clinics, cardiac services, 
rehabilitation services, or signposted into IAPT and other mental health 
services.

4. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded research on long 
Covid which is working with 10,000 patients to better understand the 
condition and refine appropriate treatment.
The NHS's support will be overseen by a new NHS England Long Covid 
taskforce which will include long covid patients, medical specialists 
and researchers.

5. NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: 'While this is still a 
relatively new virus, we are learning more about covid with every 
passing week. It is now clear that long covid can have a major impact on 
the lives of a significant minority of patients weeks or months after 
they have contracted the virus. So just as the NHS quickly put in place 
specialist hospital care for acutely ill Covid patients at the start of 
the pandemic, now we must respond sensitively and effectively to these 
new patient needs.'


Professor Chris Brightling, Professor of Respiratory Medicine and 
Consultant Respiratory Physician University of Leicester and UHL NHS 
Trust, said: 'Following Covid-19 infection, some people have persistent 
and debilitating symptoms including fatigue and breathlessness known as 
long covid. Sufferers need a coordinated approach to their care and 
rehabilitation so this proposed plan is most welcome. Long covid 
research studies are essential in understanding the reasons for the 
variable consequences of the disease to identify those at risk and to 
test new treatments.'

The new services will follow the launch of the long covid clinic at 
University College London Hospital earlier this summer where they have 
treated over 900 people with long Covid symptoms, including those who 
were not admitted to hospital with the illness. Patients at UCLH may 
also be given Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET), a 40 minute test 
which includes patients performing graded exercise on an upright bicycle 
breathing into a mouthpiece to test lung strength.


UCLH Chief Executive, Professor Marcel Levi, said: 'The UCLH post-covid 
clinic has seen 900 patients since mid May. We support moves to increase 
access for the growing patient groups with post-COVID-19 symptoms and 
the efforts to treat and rehabilitate patients who are often young and 
their quality of life has been seriously impacted. There is a growing 
need to understand and offer access to care especially when, as a new 
illness, many struggle to access adequate care through traditional 
routes.'


In response to the announcement, Ondine Sherwood of LongcovidSOS, said: 
'LongCovidSOS welcome this announcement from NHS England. We believe 
that multi-disciplinary clinics are essential for the assessment, 
treatment and rehabilitation of the huge numbers of people still 
suffering the effects of COVID-19. We hope that clinical guidance from 
NICE will ensure that necessary referral pathways are in place and that 
general practitioners are empowered to treat patients with long covid 
appropriately.'


Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London 
(KCL), and lead investigator of the ZOE KCL COVID Symptom Study app, 
said: 'We are glad that the need to help long Covid sufferers has been 
recognised. Using clinical data from the over four million people who 
downloaded the COVID Symptom Study app run by ZOE and KCL, we have a 
unique insight into the long-term problems suffered by COVID-19 patients 
who didn't go to hospital. Our data shows us that over one in 10 still 
have problems a month on and around one in 50 are still suffering after 
three months. Long covid sufferers experience a broad range of symptoms, 
which include up to 20 different problems and not just the three 
'classic' symptoms used for diagnosis. This tells us that this is a 
multisystem disease that requires a multi-disciplinary approach to 
treatment. The COVID Symptom Study will be working closely with the 
Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to provide educational 
materials on all the symptoms. There are plans to provide an early 
assessment of those at high risk of long covid and severe disease via 
the app. We will also be providing NHS England with better data for the 
public on this new disease and working to identify volunteers for early 
intervention trials. We want to encourage everyone to download and use 
the COVID Symptom Study app to continue providing the NHS with vital 
information about this mysterious but devastating disease.'


Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Long covid can have 
a huge impact on people affected. So we are doing everything we can to 
support people who are still suffering with effects on their health. 
Since May, rehabilitation facilities and recovery services have been 
available to those who have suffered with the virus and I am delighted 
to see these becoming more accessible with the opening of specialist 
clinics right across England. Combined with further research and the new 
NHS England Long Covid taskforce, these additional services will ensure 
people get the care they need, improve lives and aid in the fight 
against this global pandemic.'

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(c) 2020 NHS