One of the clinicians who forms part of the post Covid-19 syndrome assessment and treatment at South West Acute Hospital and across the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) has spoken on how the service is shaped around patients’ setting goals for their recovery

Alison Gillen, an Occupational Therapist (OT) is one part of a large multidisciplinary team in the Western Trust.

Detailing those who form the team, Alison said: “I am one therapist; there is another OT in the North sector of the Western Trust, a physiotherapist who is shared over the Trust area, a respiratory nurse shared across the Trust area, a speech and language therapist and two dieticians that share the role and psychology has an input also.”

 

The Western Trust post COVID-19 syndrome assessment and treatment team

The Western Trust post COVID-19 syndrome assessment and treatment team

 

Alison spoke about the differing levels of severity that she and her colleagues work with when treating post Covid syndrome – commonly called ‘long Covid’.

She explained: “There is quite a big spectrum [of afflicted people], there are not that many who are very severe.

“Many people are moderate to mild [with symptoms], but when I say ‘mild’, it’s not mild to the person. For that person, they could be going back to work, but that’s all they are doing – they go back and they are exhausted and in pain, while on the other end of the scale, you have people who struggle to get up and get dressed.”

Continuing, Alison added: “It’s [post Covid syndrome] very unpredictable. You could have a whole mix [of symptoms]. We take people on from the age of 16, and it tends to be those aged 20 up to around 60 to 65 [who are affected].

“You can get someone who is physically fit, such as a runner who was perfectly fine, or you could get someone who had underlying health conditions.

“You can’t predict by how severe you had it [Covid-19] at the start whether you’ll get post Covid syndrome.”

Key symptoms of post Covid syndrome include but are not limited to fatigue, shortness of breath, a loss of smell and muscle aches.

The service is available for those who have had symptoms of post Covid fatigue for over 12 weeks.

Explaining how Covid-19’s symptoms can continue after 12 weeks in post Covid-19 syndrome, Alison said: “Lots of people can recover in that period of time from a viral infection, but if it’s prolonged, nearly all of them will have fatigue.

“But it’s not like normal fatigue, where you recover from a rest – it is often quite physical and mental as well.”

‘Brain fog’

Describing the experiences of some of her patients, Alison said: “People will describe ‘brain fog’ where there may be an issue with memory or with concentration; it’s not like you get up the next day and feel better.

“People are describing dragging their bodies around when they come home from work, or finish their caring role, and they’re not able to do anything else. They aren’t able to do leisure and [the things] that makes a person as a whole.”

Discussing the goal for service users, Alison said: “The whole treatment is based on self-management, and it is all about empowering people to manage the symptoms.

“We use an outcome-measure tick box exercise, but most importantly, the person would choose a smart goal.

“[For example], a lot of people want to go back to work, to be able to go take the dog for a walk, and so on. We are looking for them to improve in self-managing and feel more empowered.”

Describing how the team empower people to acknowledge symptoms, Alison said: “A lot of people come in feeling they are not believed [about having post Covid syndrome].

“A lot of people come in and say they have pain and headaches since Covid-19, but people say to them: ‘I had that before and I’m fine now’. But it is not something they are going to get over quickly.”

Alison was keen to emphasise: “People will believe you in the service, and know you’re not making it up. A big part of the service is how much people get from coming in and talking about it, but we can see from our treatment that people are getting better.”

The service, which has now helped hundreds of people across the Western Trust, can act as a springboard to other services, as patients may also need to be referred to manage their symptoms and help them with their recovery from post Covid syndrome.

Concluding, and offering a signpost to services, Alison said: “The GP is the best referral route. I would say to someone to get a referral, don’t keep on struggling. It’s important to look after yourself and seek out help.

“If it is going on more than three months, and you’re wondering why your fatigue is not getting better, or if there is associated pain, or issues with breathing, there is no harm in talking to your GP.”