Professor Sally Singh, Head of Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and the University of Leicester, is leading a team to develop the new ‘Your COVID Recovery’ on-demand rehabilitation service.

Tens of thousands of people across the UK are suffering from the long-term affect of the coronavirus on their physical and mental health. ‘Your COVID Recovery’ will be available to services across England, offering a COVID-19 recovery programme for people who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other complications.

The site will have two phases: the first phase will be available to all, and will comprise information that will help people and their families/carers understand their symptoms and support recovery. Where patients don’t already have access to a suitable device to use the online platform, printed materials will be available to ensure the service is accessible to all.

Phase two is being developed specifically for people who have prolonged symptoms. Patients will have access to a face-to-face consultation with their local rehabilitation team which will usually consist of a multi-disciplinary team. Following this initial assessment, to understand the symptom burden, individuals will be offered a personalised package of online-based care lasting up to 12 weeks. The programme will include:

• A personalised package of care based upon individual symptoms and what is important to the individual.
• Access to a local clinical team including nurses and physiotherapists who can respond to enquiries from patients
• An online peer-support community for survivors – particularly helpful for those who may be recovering at home alone
• An exercise programme people can do at home to help them regain their previous levels of fitness and muscle strength.
• Mental health support, which will include advise on symptoms of low mood, fears and frustration, and problems with memory and thinking.

Rehabilitation professionals will be able to access their patient’s data to enable remote care and monitoring, ensuring that anyone who might need further face-to-face checks or treatment can get it.

Professor Singh’s research specialisms include pulmonary rehabilitation and digital interventions to support rehabilitation and recovery for individuals with chronic lung disease. Alongside the team from University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Professor Singh has been working with national clinical leaders to build the ground-breaking ‘Your COVID Recovery’ online service and is now working with the NHS nationally to roll it out across the country.

Professor Singh says: “We know the impact of COVID-19 on people can be far reaching and complex. ‘Your COVID Recovery’ is specifically designed to support people in their recovery post-coronavirus. This will be one of the first services in the world rolled out nationally which seeks to address potential post-COVID-19 symptoms and support people on the road to recovery."