What is Long COVID?

Patients can get Post Covid Syndrome, also known as Long Covid, after they have had COVID-19. Although most people recover, some may experience longer term effects. Patients report having symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, a cough, ‘brain fog’, anxiety, low mood and poor sleep. Long Covid is when symptoms last 12 weeks or more. Long Covid can affect anyone, from the young fit and active to the older person.

The Long Covid Service aims to help and support local patients suffering from Long Covid symptoms. The service is open to adults who have been suffering with symptoms for 12 weeks or more. You do not need to have been treated in hospital for Covid to be referred to the service.

The therapy-led team is made up of different healthcare professionals. These include a consultant, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapist, Nurse, Clinical Psychologist, and admin support. The Team will complete a general assessment, talking through the care and support available. They will then set goals and help patients to manage and recover from Long Covid symptoms.

To be referred to the Long Covid Service, please see your GP who can refer you into the service. Your GP may need to carry out further investigations in relation to your symptoms to rule out any other medical conditions.

We are a therapy led service focusing on providing advice and support to allow you to self-manage your Long Covid symptoms. When we receive your referral, you will receive a call from one of the team to give you an overview of the service and check all investigations have been completed.

Initial assessment – this involves a general assessment, where we will get more information about your symptoms and how they are impacting your daily life.

Long Covid 8-week online group programme – we talk about topics such as managing your fatigue, breathing techniques, managing your pain and other Long Covid symptoms.

After the 8-week group programme, there will be the option to participate in more specialist group programmes.  

Also, you may need a 1:1 appointment with one of our specialist healthcare professionals. These appointments may be in one of our clinics, online video call or telephone appointments.

We can make referrals on to other services including Talking Therapies, Specialist Weight Management Services, Community Speech and Language Therapy and Red Rose Recovery.

For more information on Long Covid go to:

Long Covid Support - www.longcovid.org

Long Covid Guidance and Handbook - https://www.rcslt.org/news/new-long-covid-guidance-and-patient-handbook/

Recovery after Post Covid-19 - Patient Information Leaflet - https://www.healthierlsc.co.uk/application/files/3616/7723/1658/LSC_Post_Covid_Self_Help_-_PCSH21.pdf

What are the main Long Covid symptoms?

Fatigue and extreme tiredness are the most common symptom reported by our Long Covid patients. It can be described as an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. It is not relieved by sleep or rest and makes it more difficult to do usual day to day activities. Fatigue can also often make other symptoms worse.

For further support regarding how to manage your fatigue, please use the following resources:

Another common Long Covid symptoms are related to breathing. This may be breathlessness at rest or when walking, or a constant cough.

If you are suffering with a constant cough, you may want to discuss this with your GP as you may require further tests.

Breathlessness can occur following a Covid illness due to a change in your normal breathing patterns. There are lots of strategies to help you to self-manage these symptoms.

For further help on how you can manage your breathlessness, please use the following resources:

 

 

It is common for Long Covid patients to report increased pain following their Covid illness. This can be pain all over the body and can be sometimes described as a body ache or can be in one place. It is also common for Long Covid patients to experience increased pain levels of their pre-existing medical conditions such as increase pain of your arthritis.

We aim to give you a better understanding of how to manage your pain and work with you to control this. This may also involve you visiting your GP, to discuss and review your pain. The GP may need to look into the cause of your pain and assess if you need further investigations and benefit from pain medication. 

For further help on how you can manage your pain, please use the following resources:

If you are still having smell and/or taste issues, you may want to discuss these with your GP.

For further help on how you can improve your smell, please use the following resources:

 

We provide emotional support for our patients in the Long Covid Service.

There is also the option for patients to access Talking Therapies for support with low mood, anxiety and stress.

Note: choose the option ‘I live in Lancashire’

 

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