The head of NHS announced on Tuesday, that people who are suffering from long term effects of coronavirus will be able to reap the benefits of a new revolutionary on-demand recovery service.
Nurses and physiotherapists will promptly reply to patients online or over a call. Called as the ‘Your Covid Recovery’, this service is a part of the expansion in access to Covid-19 rehabilitation treatments for the survivors of the coronavirus, but still have breathing, mental health and other problems. It follows the building of a new Seacole rehabilitation centre to help those most seriously affected by the deadly virus, with similar facilities expected to open across the country.
Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive said: “Covid-19 has been the biggest challenge in the NHS’s history, and the fact that we have come through the first peak without services being overwhelmed and being able to give expert care to everyone who needed it, is testament to all our frontline and support staff.
The first phase of the service will launch later this month, providing the latest advice on recovering from the virus, which will be available to all and continually improved and added to. The second phase, in which people who need it will be able to access personalised support packages, is in development by experts based in Leicester and will be made available later in the summer. Following this initial assessment, those who need it will be offered a personalised package of online-based aftercare lasting up to 12 weeks, available later this Summer.
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Accessible, on-demand, from the comfort of their own home, this will include:
• Access to a local clinical team including nurses and physiotherapists who can respond either online or over the phone to any enquiries from patients;
• An online peer-support community for survivors – particularly helpful for those who may be recovering at home alone;
• Exercise tutorials that people can do from home to help them regain muscle strength and lung function in particular, and;
• Mental health support, which may include a psychologist within the online hub or referral into NHS mental health services along with information on what to expect post-Covid.