There are simply not enough staff and resources to support everyone recovering from Covid-19 using traditional models of “face-to-face” care, a leading consultant has warned.
Dr Paul Pfeffer, of St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Queen Mary University of London, says that the effects of Covid-19 are lasting much longer than anyone predicated – meaning that patient care has to be rethought.
He is part of a groundbreaking trial at Barts Hospital, which began this month and aims to treat discharged Covid-19 patients effectively with digital technology, using just 1 to 10 per cent of the staff and cutting down on potentially infectious hospital visits by former patients.
The project leader, Elizabeth Murray, a GP and professor of e-health at University College London, says early indications are that patients and staff like the service.
Symptoms are treatable
She has been taken aback by the degree to which Covid symptoms are lingering but says the good news is that those symptoms are treatable – and is confident her programme can help.
“I have high expectations people will get better if treated in this way – I don’t know for sure yet but it would be very peculiar if they didn’t,” she said.
The new digital service treats the three main symptoms of ‘long Covid’ – fatigue, breathing problems and anxiety.
The programme is done through a tablet or phone app and includes physiotherapy, psychotherapy and nutritional advice.
How it works
The patient fills in a questionnaire from which a tailored plan is made drawing on a range of medic experts.
The plan is expected to become increasingly sophisticated over time by using machine learning techniques.
The activities are co-ordinated by a physiotherapist, who acts as the patient’s contact person – although they will be looking after hundreds of patients so wouldn’t be on tap, Prof Murray points out.
“It’s about improving the capacity of the NHS – rehabilitation services are quite thin on the ground, they can’t care for all the people that need them. We’re hoping that with this tool kit they’ll be able to manage between ten and hundred times more people than they would otherwise be able to manage per clinician,” she said.
Plans for the programme
Prof Murray hopes the approach can be rolled out large areas of London within three to six months and nationwide within a year – although clearly it will need to prove itself and attract the necessary funding to do so, she acknowledges.
The app has been created by the developer Living With and the project also involves Southampton and Exeter universities and University College of London Hospital.