Over 300 patients referred to new long-Covid clinic

PEOPLE from south Tyrone who may be suffering from long-Covid are being urged to come forward and avail of a specialist service set up last year to help with some of the debilitating symptoms.

More than 300 people have been referred to the new dedicated assessment and treatment service set up by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.

The Trust has said the service aims to support those with longer-term physical or mental health symptoms, lasting more than 12 weeks since infection.

Patients will be assessed by the team including specialist GP, nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy professionals, and they will also be offered expert advice and may be referred to other services as needed to manage symptoms and help their recovery.

A personalised service focused on respiratory rehabilitation and dysfunctional breathing, is also being set up for patients with significant symptoms post COVID-19. A Specialist Nurse and Physiotherapist will offer support with assessment, rehabilitation and self-management of symptoms.

Brian Beattie who is the interim director of Older People and Primary Care at the Trust said the service is “a much appreciated boost for the many people who we know are experiencing long term symptoms from COVID-19”.

He added, “This has been a very exciting opportunity for this dedicated team who are absolutely committed to supporting those with post COVID-19 syndrome with their recovery and hopefully help them to return to their normal activities and lifestyle.”

Plans are currently underway to develop the service further by offering respiratory diagnostic tests, psychology, nutrition and dietetic, and speech and language therapy support.

The Southern Trust has said their team is now aiming to provide specialised support for the many patients who are reporting fatigue as a main symptom.

A spokesperson for the Trust added, “They also hope to offer rehabilitation support to patients discharged from critical care both with COVID-19 and non-COVID symptoms.

“If you suspect you have post COVID-19 syndrome, please contact your GP or hospital consultant who can organise referral to the service if appropriate.”

Meanwhile, another milestone in the Covid crisis was reached last Friday, when the daily figures of new cases published by the Department of Health came to an end.

Set up to keep the public informed, the online dashboard provided an in-depth analysis of where the latest variants of coronavirus were taking hold, showing figures for each council area.

At different points in the pandemic, these figures revealed that both Strabane and Mid Ulster were among the highest in UK for the rate of infection, which influenced the various restrictions and lockdowns introduced by the Stormont Executive.

The figures also gave a detailed breakdown, showing varying levels of infection in each postcode area.

However sweeping changes to policy and significantly reduced official testing are likely to have reduced the effectiveness of the online statistics.