NHS Forth Valley: New service to help those with Long Covid

It is estimated almost four per cent of the population are living with the long-term affects of Covid 19 and until now the only help for sufferers was a local support group set up around 18 months ago.

However, the Forth Valley Long Covid Service promises to provide a range of advice and specialist support to help people affected manage their symptoms and improve their health and wellbeing.

It offers a range of one-to-one clinics and group sessions where people can access support from a wide range of healthcare professionals including a respiratory physiotherapist, a psychologist, dieticians, speech and language therapists and pharmacists. They can also refer people to other specialist services, if required, for further assessment or support, depending on their individual needs.

People can be referred by their local GP, practice nurse or other healthcare professionals involved in their care and the service will continue to work closely with the local Long Covid support group to develop and improve local services.

Jennifer Ritchie, NHS Forth Valley’s Long Covid coordinator, said: “We have been working hard to introduce this new service which has been designed to reflect the latest clinical guidance as well as feedback from local people affected by Long Covid.

"We know that living with symptoms of Long Covid can be extremely challenging and we want to ensure that local people across Forth Valley have access to services they require to support their ongoing recovery and improve the quality of their lives.

“I would like to thank colleagues across NHS Forth Valley, our two local Health and Care Social Partnerships and members of the Falkirk Long Covid Support Group for their assistance in developing this important new service.”

Suzanne Grant, a founding member of the Falkirk Long Covid Support Group, said: “We welcome the introduction of this new local service and look forward to continuing to work with local staff to share feedback and suggestions on its ongoing rollout and development.

“I would urge anyone who is living with Long Covid to access the support available and connect with others in a similar position as this can make a real difference.”

Welcoming the new service, Richard Leonard, Labour MSP for Central Scotland, said: “Our local Long Covid support group has worked tirelessly to provide mutual support and encouragement to those with long term health issues caused by Covid-19.

“It has also campaigned for healthcare services to fully meet the needs of those affected and I pay tribute to them and to those in NHS Forth Valley in establishing this new service.”

Further information on the Forth Valley Long Covid service is available on the NHS Forth Valley website.