15 July 2021

Accolade for city’s specialist post-Covid-19 healthcare services


A new specialist service aiming at helping patients suffering with the long-term effects of Covid-19 has been shortlisted for a national Health Service Journal Patient Safety Award.

The Sheffield Long Covid Programme, which was set up by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group to support patients with Long Covid, is one of eight finalists in the ‘Service User Engagement and Co-production category’. The award recognises healthcare initiatives which are designed and planned with patients and their families.

Around one in five people who have had a Covid-19 infection go on to develop longer term symptoms, with most reporting symptoms as having disappeared after 12 weeks.

However, for a small but significant group of people the effects can be longer lasting, with sufferers experiencing brain fog, anxiety, depression, breathlessness, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms that have a severe impact on the quality of their life. These symptoms can occur irrespective of whether their Covid-19 infection was managed at hospital, at home or in the community.

As a new medical condition, the team worked rapidly to set up the service, involving patients from the start. This included establishing a Patient Voice Group so that people from a wide range of communities in the city had the opportunity to contribute.

The team also worked with clinical leaders throughout the city and collaborated with organisations such as Sheffield Hallam University to share expertise and knowledge.

Dr Sarah Jenkins, Deputy Medical Director for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Programme Clinical Lead for the Sheffield Long Covid Programme, said: “Long Covid is a new medical condition but right from the start our team have worked phenomenally hard to reflect the lived experiences of patients, bringing together doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to offer physical and psychological assessments and ensure patients can be referred to the right treatment and rehabilitation services based on their individual needs. The team have also worked dynamically and sensitively during a time of unprecedented challenge, working with multi-professionals, clinical leaders and charities to ensure that patients are at the heart of post-Covid-19 healthcare services that the city can be proud of.”

Dr Anthony Gore, Clinical Director at NHS Sheffield CCG, said: “It is great news that the Long Covid Programme has been shortlisted for this award. It’s testament to the hard work of all the clinical leaders, managers and most importantly patients, that have come together to set it up in a short space of time, in order to offer vital support to people suffering from Long Covid. The effects of Long Covid can be debilitating and have a long-term impact on people’s lives, that’s why it’s so important as many people are vaccinated against the virus.”

Resources and supporting information to help people manage their post-Covid recovery can be found at https://sheffieldhospitalscoronavirus.co.uk/patient-support.html. If your symptoms persist beyond 12 weeks please seek advice from your GP.

The winners of the Patient Safety Awards will be announced at a ceremony on 20 September 2021.

ENDS
 

 

 



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