Healthwatch Havering, Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge have published their report on the experiences of service users on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Long Covid pathway.
The report was produced in collaboration with the Long Covid Clinic at King George Hospital (jointly managed between Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospital NHS trust (BHRUT) and North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) and with primary care and community stakeholders within NHS North East London. It can be accessed here.
The aim of the report was to articulate and present Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering community patient voice in shaping and developing services in this new clinical area. Feedback was collected via surveys, interviews and focus groups with service users, GPs and service leaders.
Dr Adam Ainley, Consultant Respiratory Physician and Clinical Lead for the BHRUT Long Covid clinic, commented: “The partnership between Healthwatch and members of the BHRUT/NELFT Long Covid service has been useful in exploring patient experience and in particular, access to support. We have been able to respond to challenges evident from the data to undertake steps to increase awareness of our specialist clinic at King George and by working with stakeholders to simplify the referral process. It has been good to see an increased visibility of the clinic during the time the data was collected and an increase in the number of patients getting support.”
