More support for Covid patients following intensive care | News from St Bartholomew's

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More support for Covid patients following intensive care

Barts Health patients who have been ill with Covid-19 will be helped to recover with a package of extra therapy as well as support from a smartphone app.

Thanks to funding from Barts Charity, patients across our east London hospitals who have been in an intensive care unit (ICU) will soon be able to access additional therapy in post-ICU clinics involving psychologists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists.

These extra therapies will be available from September at four sites – St Bartholomew’s, The Royal London, Whipps Cross and Newham – helping to address the backlog of patients created by the pandemic.

The £337,000 funding will also provide therapists to work alongside core medical staff in Covid respiratory follow-up clinics, providing physiotherapy, psychology and a lung function physiologist.

Anthony Bastin, consultant in critical care and the lead for critical care follow-up at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, said: “Many hundreds of patients have required intensive care at Barts Health NHS Trust during the Covid-19 pandemic and a significant number have needed prolonged rehabilitation and support following ICU and hospital discharge.

“This grant from Barts Charity will help our critical care follow-up services meet the increased demand for supporting patients and their families in their physical and psychological recovery.

“This will not only support patients following Covid critical illness, but also those survivors of non-Covid critical illness, at a time when existing hospital and community services are under enormous strain.”

A proportion of the money will also go towards helping patients with long Covid to manage their symptoms remotely.

Through the Living With Covid app, clinicians are currently supporting more than 230 patients and this funding will help to develop the app further so that more patients can benefit.

The app is to be translated into Bengali, Urdu, and Polish.

Dr Will Ricketts, consultant chest physician at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “We have had great feedback so far from our patients who love the app, but we remain concerned about the impact of the digital divide, especially in our local populations.

“This grant will allow us to adapt the app for non-English speakers, as well as enabling patients without direct access to a smartphone or tablet to add a friend or relative to be their proxy, meaning that even more of our patients will be able to benefit.”

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