Post Covid Support Service
What is Post-COVID syndrome/long COVID?
Emerging evidence and patient testimony is showing a growing number of people who contract COVID-19 cannot shake off the effects of the virus months after initially falling ill. Symptoms are wide-ranging and fluctuating, and can include breathlessness, chronic fatigue, “brain fog”, anxiety and stress.
The long-term effects of COVID-19 are often referred to interchangeably as long COVD and post COVID syndrome. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network/Royal College of General Practitioners guidance on managing long-term effects of COVID-19 (updated November 2021) gives the following clinical definitions below:
- ongoing symptomatic COVID-19: signs and symptoms of COVID-19 from four to 12 weeks
- post COVID-19 syndrome: signs and symptoms that develop during or after COVID-19 and continue for more than 12 weeks and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis.
While we have learned a lot about COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic – and new treatments are available – the long term effects of the illness can be debilitating, even for young, fit people, or those who did not go to hospital when they had COVID-19 symptoms initially
Symptoms of Post/Long Covid
Evidence to date suggests that long or post-Covid syndrome is characterised by multiple persistent and fluctuating symptoms that stretch across physical, psychological/neuropsychological and social presentations of ill-health/wellbeing, including:
- Prolonged experience of symptoms commonly associated with COVID infection (i.e. cough, fever, loss of smell/taste, fatigue)
- Wider complaints/ailments (e.g. chest pain; gastrointestinal symptoms; low mood/anxiety; joint pain/muscle weakness etc)
- More serious complications (e.g. myocarditis, lung inflammation, stroke, liver and kidney dysfunction and PTSD etc)
- Fatigue, tiredness.
Other consequences of Long Covid
As well as the effect of ongoing or prolonged symptoms people are also experiencing a variety of other challenges including:
- financial and welfare
- emotional and psychological
- cognitive e.g. brain fog, issues with focus and concentration
- specific needs e.g. as a student you may require further support with your studies.
Post Covid Centres
Thousands of patients suffering with the long term symptoms of coronavirus can now access specialist help at more than 60 sites. The assessment centres are taking referrals from GPs for people experiencing brain fog, anxiety, depression, breathlessness, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms.
The new centres bring together doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to offer both physical and psychological assessments and refer patients to the right treatment and rehabilitation services.
Patients can access services if they are referred by a GP or another healthcare professional, so that doctors can first rule out other possible underlying causes for symptoms.
Please contact your GP if you feel you may require further support and assessment for any Long Covid symptoms.
If you are not registered with a local GP, details of local GP practices can be found in the useful resources section below.
Post Covid Service on-campus
We would like to make you aware of the University's Post-Covid Support Service (PCSS), which is available to support students who may be experiencing the longer term effects of having had Covid19, which has been identified by the NHS as Post- Covid (also known as Long Covid). The service offers an information, advice and signposting service via MS Teams and is available free to all students.
We aim to tailor support to the individual needs of our students. If you feel you are still experiencing on-going effects from having had Covid-19, we are currently able to offer you an online service where you can talk to a Student Wellbeing Adviser, who will have a one-to-one conversation with you and then provide you with advice and next steps, initiating support where possible and signposting you to any services within or outside of the University (study, health or welfare related) that you may require. They will then keep in touch with you on a regular basis to ensure your ongoing support needs are being met.
In order to book an appointment with our Student Wellbeing Adviser please email SLSPostCovid@tees.ac.uk
Useful resources
Can't find what you're looking for?
