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Patient Safety Learning

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  1. Patient Safety Learning
    The NHS's "insufficient" critical care capacity has been laid bare by the pandemic, with the UK having one of the lowest number of beds per head in Europe, NHS Providers has said.
    The group, which represents trusts in England, is calling for a review of the health service's capacity.
    The UK has 7.3 critical care beds per 100,000 people, compared to Germany's 33.8 and the US's 34.3, analysis found.
    The government said it was investing £72bn in the next two years in the NHS. 
    "The UK is towards the bottom of the European League table for critical care beds per head of population," NHS Providers said.
    The group added that the UK had comparatively fewer critical care beds than France, Italy, Australia and Spain.
    "It's neither safe nor sensible to rely on NHS hospital trusts being able to double or triple their capacity at the drop of a hat as they've had to over the last two months, with all the disruption to other care and impossible burdens on staff that involves."
    Seeking a review into critical care capacity in England, the organisation said it wanted the government to commit to providing additional finances in areas where it was needed.
    "There have been too many reviews of NHS capacity in the past where huge amounts of time have been wasted because the government has not been willing to fund the results of what's been found," the group said.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 1 March 2021
  2. Patient Safety Learning
    East Kent University Hospitals Foundation Trust reported 1,955 mixed sex accommodation breaches in November, the month before the new variant of the virus caused a huge increase in covid admissions across the county.
    Such breaches occur when patients share sleeping accommodation with the opposite sex.
    The trust, which struggled last summer to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in its wards, has recorded 7,249 such breaches in the last 12 months. This is a year-on-year increase of 1,112 per cent – according to the trust’s latest board papers.
    East Kent FT’s board papers stated COVID-19 had “contributed” to the high number of breaches, and that it was “imperative that we review and act on this”.
    According to the papers, the trust’s interim chief nurse and chief operating officer have a “plan to address” the problem.
    In a statement to HSJ the trust said: “Our hospitals are very busy as a result of increased patients with COVID-19.
    “To keep covid and non-covid patients separate and as safe as possible we have sometimes needed to care for both male and female patients in a bay. This is always done in discussion with the patients affected.”
    Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, told HSJ they had “long supported” moves to abolish mixed sex accommodation breaches, which she described as “an affront to patients’ dignity”.
    But she said she understood why NHS providers might choose mixed sex accommodation if it was a “viable route to saving lives, whether of COVID-19 patients or others urgently needing treatment”.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 27 January 2021
  3. Patient Safety Learning
    Pregabalin may be associated with serious breathing problems in patients with compromised respiratory systems, according to a drug safety alert from the medicines regulator.
    Elderly patients, patients with neurological disease, renal impairment and those who are taking antidepressant medication are also at increased risk of breathing problems from the drug, the Medicines Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said (18 February).
    Pregabalin is a medication that has increasingly been prescribed to treat chronic pain, however, it is also used to treat epilepsy, fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, and generalised anxiety disorder.
    The use of pregabalin combined with central nervous system depressants such as opioids has been associated with an increased risk of respiratory failure, coma, and deaths since 2018, said the MHRA. However, a recent review of the safety of the drug has found that the use of pregabalin alone can also cause ‘severe’ respiratory depression.
    "The review identified a small number of worldwide cases of respiratory depression without an alternative cause or underlying medical conditions. In these cases, respiratory depression had a temporal relationship with the initiation of pregabalin or dose increase. Other cases were noted in patients with risk factors or underlying medical history. The majority of cases reviewed were reported in elderly patients," the alert said.
    Health professionals have been advised to consider adjustments in dose or dosing regimen are necessary for patients at higher risk of respiratory depression.
    The alert also told them to report suspected adverse drug reactions associated with the use of pregabalin via the Yellow Card website.
    Existing advice asks healthcare professionals to check the patient for a history of drug abuse before prescribing pregabalin and to observe patients who have been prescribed the drug for signs of drug abuse and dependence.
    Read full story
    Source: Pulse, 23 February 2021
  4. Patient Safety Learning
    Shortages of oxygen are endangering the lives of more than half a million COVID-19 patients every day in the world’s poorest nations, new research has shown.
    Despite being vital for the effective treatment of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus, sustained access to oxygen has proven difficult in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to cost, infrastructure and logistical barriers.
    According to Unitaid, a global health agency, more than half a million people in LMICs currently need 1.1 million cylinders of oxygen per day, with 25 countries currently reporting surges in demand, the majority in Africa.
    Supplies of oxygen were already constrained prior to COVID-19 and have been exacerbated by the pandemic, Unitaid says.
    Read full story
    Source: The Independent, 25 February 2021
  5. Patient Safety Learning
    Bereaved families have been left feeling like their efforts to improve patient safety have been ‘in vain’ as progress of a government programme instigated by Jeremy Hunt appears to have ‘stalled’.
    The Learning from Deaths programme board, which was set up in 2017 to develop guidance for trusts working with families on investigations of deaths, has not met since June 2019.
    Josephine Ocloo and David Smith, two bereaved family members who were on the board, have written to HSJ, saying the programme’s progress has “stalled”.
    They added many of the issues it was set up to consider have not yet been addressed, including the need for a national inquiry into unresolved historical cases, the independence of the NHS’ investigatory systems, lack of effectiveness of the duty of candour, and the disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities and those with mental ill-health or learning disabilities.
    They said: “We now have serious concerns that what these families went through [in November 2017] in recalling — and effectively reliving — their experiences, in order to ensure the terrible things that happened to them could not happen to others, was in vain…
    “If [the issues] are not to be addressed by the new board, the families will have every right to feel betrayed and to feel as if they have been used as pawns in a political game. Once again, harmed and let down by a system that has used us and then cast us aside.”
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 26 February 2021
  6. Patient Safety Learning
    Almost half of people with potential cancer symptoms did not contact their GP during the first wave of the pandemic, a survey suggests.
    Symptoms left unchecked included coughing up blood, lumps and changes to the appearance of moles.
    NHS figures showed a fall in referrals to cancer services last spring. However, this study, of almost 8,000 people, captures the fall in people contacting their GP in the first place.
    The team that carried out the study, from Cardiff University and Cancer Research UK, said this raised concerns that people could be diagnosed later - and so be less likely to be treated successfully and recover.
    They surveyed a representative sample of people across the UK and found that of 3,025 people who said they had experienced at least one symptom which could be a warning sign of cancer, 45% did not seek help.
    They also found that:
    31% did not seek help after coughing up blood 41% did not seek help for an unexplained lump or swelling 59% did not seek help after noticing changes to the appearance of a mole. Some of the reasons given by people who did not contact their GP were not wanting to waste doctors' time or put extra strain on the NHS; not wanting to be seen as someone who made a fuss; and fear of catching Covid at appointments.
    But people who did contact their GP reported feeling "safe" and "secure" when attending face-to-face appointments.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 25 February 2021
  7. Patient Safety Learning
    Senior doctors are leading a programme of work to review deaths caused by hospital-acquired covid in the North West, which has had disproportionately high rates of nosocomial infections over the last three months.
    According to internal NHS England papers seen by HSJ, a number of common themes have been identified as driving the infections in the region, including “breaches in the basic tenets of infection prevention control”, insufficient numbers of cleaning staff at some trusts, and a lack of consistent testing.
    The papers say there is also evidence that covid occupancy rates above 20 per cent drives nosocomial transmission. Occupancy rates in the North West have been near or above this level since the start of December, but have still been significantly lower than other areas, such as London.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 24 February 2021
  8. Patient Safety Learning
    Around 40% of NHS staff reported feeling anxious during the recent coronavirus surge, but results were 10 percentage points worse for minority ethnic workers, according to NHS England’s surveys.
    Prerana Issar, NHSE chief people officer, highlighted national data from the health service’s ‘people pulse’ survey during a Commons health and social care committee hearing.
    The survey was launched last July to help gauge how the health service’s workforce was coping with the pressures of the pandemic, asking questions such as whether they felt supported, motivated, or anxious and what made the biggest difference to their experience at work. It involves findings from 114 local NHS organisations.
    Ms Issar said the percentage of staff who reported they were feeling supported “was at a high of 68% during the first few months and started dipping from November onwards to 62%. It is still at 62%”.
    Meanwhile, the share of those “feeling anxious” was at a “low” of 29% during the summer and autumn but has since increased to 40%.
    The 40% finding may seem surprisingly low to many, considering the enormous impact of the winter surge of coronavirus demand, the very widespread extra asks of staff, potential health risks, and redeployment of roles.
    Ms Issar added: “We have seen ‘feeling supported’ come down a little bit and ‘feeling anxious’ go up, and we used that feedback to then augment our offer and communication.”
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 24 February 2021
  9. Patient Safety Learning
    A Care Inspectorate report shows many homes are still failing to maintain infection control safety standards in Scottish care homes. Infection prevention was weak or unsatisfactory in half of the Scots care homes most recently checked by government regulators.
    Almost a year on from the start of the pandemic, the latest round of inspection reports highlighted poor practice in 11 out of 22 care homes.
    Read report
  10. Patient Safety Learning
    One in five people hospitalised with COVID-19 experienced hair loss within six months of first being infected with the virus, a cohort study of patients found.
    A team of Chinese experts looking into the long-term health consequences of the disease surveyed patients who had been discharged from Jin Yin-tan Hospital in Wuhan last year.
    Of the 1,655 people who took part 359 (22%) reported losing hair.
    Fatigue or muscle weakness, difficulty sleeping, smell disorder, anxiety and depression were some of the other most commonly reported symptoms, with a higher percentage of these reported among women.
    The long-term consequences of Covid-19 after six months remained "largely unclear", the study concluded.
    Read full story
    Source: The Independent, 23 February 2021
  11. Patient Safety Learning
    The NHS is set to miss a major national target to eliminate inappropriate out of area placements within mental health by the end of March, HSJ can reveal.
    At least eight of the 52 English NHS mental health trusts surveyed by HSJ are predicting they will miss the national deadline of getting rid of their inappropriate OAPs by the end of next month.
    The national target was one of the headline mental health pledges set out in  2014’s Five Year Forward View. The pledge was also in 2019’s long-term plan.
    Inappropriate OAPs refer to people being sent out of their region to an inpatient mental health bed if no beds are available within their area. Patients are regularly sent hundreds of miles away from their homes.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 23 February 2021
  12. Patient Safety Learning
    Paramedics in London have started wearing body cameras after a 34% jump in the number of violent attacks on ambulance crews.
    A trial of the technology is being rolled out across the capital in areas where workers are thought to be more at risk based on past incidents.
    Paramedics can press a button to start recording if patients or the public become aggressive or abusive towards them.
    London Ambulance Service told The Independent there had been an increase in physical assaults in recent years. Attacks jumped from 468 in the financial year 2018-19 to 625 in the year 2019-20, a 34% rise.
    Gary Watson, based at Croydon Ambulance Station, will be one of the first staff members to wear a camera. He was violently assaulted by a drunk patient three years ago.
    He said: “We need these cameras. We get up every day to help people, not to be severely beaten.
    “Wearing these cameras should act as a deterrent and if it doesn’t then at least there will be evidence which will hopefully mean tougher sentences for criminals.”
    Read full story
    Source: The Independent, 23 February 2021
  13. Patient Safety Learning
    All adults with a learning disability will be offered the vaccine against coronavirus after new advice from government experts warned they were at greater risk from the virus.
    The decision is a major win for disability charities and campaigners. The decision will mean as many as 150,000 more people could be offered the vaccine.
    The government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has issued new advice saying any adult on GP Learning Disability Register should be prioritised for vaccination along with adults with related conditions such as cerebral palsy.
    The JCVI had previously said only those were severe learning disabilities and those living in care homes should be prioritised for vaccinations. Disability rights campaigners and charities warned this left vulnerable people at increased risk from the virus.
    Read full story
    Source: The Independent, 24 February 2021
  14. Patient Safety Learning
    A children’s nurse who raised legitimate concerns over racial discrimination at a major London trust was suspended and victimised by her managers for doing so, an employment tribunal has ruled.
    Jeyran Panahian-Jand, who worked on a children’s ward at Whipps Cross Hospital, parts of Barts Health Trust, had raised concerns with her manager in 2019 that staff were divided on “racial lines”, with an “unfair allocation of work”, as well as bullying of two junior staff.
    Her manager Heather Roberts, as well as other superiors, told Ms Panahian-Jand she should raise a formal complaint, without offering to look at the issues raised and keep the complaint informal, which the tribunal said they should have done under whistleblowing policies.
    Ms Roberts later accused Ms Panahian-Jand, who identified as white, of continuing to talk about her allegations on the ward, and with the agreement of Ghislaine Stephenson, the associate director of nursing for children, Ms Panahian-Jand was suspended for the “disruption” and “upset” she was causing, the tribunal judgment said.
    Ms Panahnian-Jand then lodged a formal complaint over race discrimination, as well as accusing two other bank nurses of making “racially abusive” remarks. A subsequent internal investigation supported three allegations of race discrimination made by Ms Panahian-Jand, while a separate probe into her own alleged misconduct found there was no case to answer.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 23 February 2021
  15. Patient Safety Learning
    NHSX has launched a ‘simpler and faster’ technology assessment process to help healthcare providers pick digital tools that meet NHS standards.
    The new digital technology assessment criteria provides NHS and social care teams with guidance to decide which tools to use or to recommend to patients. NHS organisations, national bodies and social care will be encouraged to apply the DTAC when considering any form of digital health technology procurement.
    NHSX described DTAC as “a new simpler and faster assessment process to help give staff, patients and the public confidence that the digital health tools they use meet NHS standards”, adding it “is a rapid process that can be completed in days”.
    It has previously taken as long as two months for tools to go through assessment processes. 
    The guidance brings together legislation and best practice across five areas. Tools will receive a pass or fail score in the first four categories — clinical safety, data protection, technical security and interoperability — and an additional percentage score for usability and accessibility. 
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 23 February 2021
  16. Patient Safety Learning
    A national safety watchdog has been forced to release almost 100 pieces of evidence, including names of NHS staff, after being ordered to by courts.
    A freedom of information request, submitted by HSJ, has revealed the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) has been required to release 93 interviews with staff, family members and external experts, along with their identities, over the last two years. 
    The interviews, which relate to HSIB investigations involving hospital trusts across England, were released to coroner’s courts through eight separate orders dating from February 2019.
    A further four court orders compelled HSIB to release other information to coroners, including reports into trusts, findings of internal panel reviews, and evidence from external experts. The orders were made under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.
    When HSJ asked whether any NHS staff or family members were named in open court, HSIB said it was “not able to comment on specific instances”, but added that all those whose evidence was shared with the coroners were notified in advance.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 23 February 2021
  17. Patient Safety Learning
    About 31,000 women in London are being offered "do-it-at-home" tests to check for early warnings of cervical cancer, as part of an NHS trial.
    It could be a way to encourage more women to get screened, experts hope.
    Embarrassment, cultural barriers and worries about Covid, along with many other factors, can stop women going for smear tests at a clinic or GP surgery.
    Smear-test delays during the pandemic prompted calls for home-screening kits from cervical cancer charities. The swabbing involves using a long, thin cotton bud to take a sample from inside the vagina, which is then sent by post for testing.
    If the results reveal an infection called human papillomavirus (HPV) they will be invited to their GP for a standard smear test to closely examine the cells of their cervix.
    Dr Anita Lim, from King's College London, who is leading the YouScreen trial, said: "Women who don't come for regular screening are at the highest risk of developing cervical cancer.
    "So it is crucial that we find ways like this to make screening easier and protect women from what is a largely preventable cancer. Self-sampling is a game-changer."
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 24 February 2021
  18. Patient Safety Learning
    The NHS has been warned not to use or distribute a batch of high-grade face masks after government officials warned they may not meet safety standards.
    The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it had “received urgent information” suggesting the items did not meet UK government specifications.
    Hospital bosses and others including GPs have been told to stop using the FT-045A FFP3 masks, quarantine any remaining supplies and then track down any they might have sent on to other health providers through mutual aid schemes.
    DHSC said it was pausing further distribution while a rapid review was carried out. Some 1.12 million masks are affected, the department said.
    DHSC’s warning document told health bosses: “Please be assured that we are working with regional teams and providers to fit-test staff to alternative models and provide of them with alternative masks in the quantities needed. We have a good supply of other FFP3 masks.”
    Rob Harwood, consultants committee chairman of the British Medical Association, told the BBC: “Healthcare staff working on the frontline do so facing the grave risk of contracting Covid, and deserve the best protection from this deadly virus."
    “Many will be incredibly concerned to learn that some masks designed to offer enhanced protection, as well as gloves, may not meet standards, potentially placing them at greater risk.”
    Read full story
    Source: The Independent, 24 February 2021
  19. Patient Safety Learning
    Local groups of GPs have decided to prioritise all patients with learning disabilities for COVID-19 vaccination, after fresh evidence showed that disabled patients were at much higher risk from the disease.
    Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics1 showed that 60% of people in England who died from covid-19 from January to November 2020 (30 296 of 50 888) had a disability.
    This week an extra 1.7 million people in England—including some with severe learning disabilities—are being added to the list of people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19, although this does not include people with mild or moderate learning disabilities. But some clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have deviated from national guidance and said that they will prioritise all patients with learning disabilities for vaccination given the disproportionate impact on them.
    In a statement published on its website, Kent and Medway CCG said that it had decided to include all adults with learning disabilities in the current priority phase for vaccination delivery. “Given the evidence of covid-19 inequalities increasing deaths amongst people with learning disabilities, the NHS in Kent and Medway has agreed to prioritise vaccinating the 9500 people on GP learning disability registers,” it said.
    Oxfordshire CCG was also praised by local campaigners for adjusting its priority list so that everybody with a learning disability is included in priority group 6, regardless of its severity.
    Read full story
    Source: BMJ, 19 February 2021
  20. Patient Safety Learning
    People living with HIV in England and Wales can now choose to have their Covid vaccine through specialist clinics, without notifying their GP.
    NHS England has updated its guidance for people not comfortable with sharing their status. 
    Everyone with HIV should be in vaccine priority groups four or six, and offered a jab by mid-April at the latest. But campaigners worried stigma would cause some to miss out.
    The updated guidance, obtained by the i newspaper, follows the lead of NHS Wales which put the same measures in place last week.
    Head of leading HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, Ian Green, said: "Some may be surprised to hear that a significant number of people living with HIV feel unable to talk to their GP about their HIV status, but this underlines how much stigma still surrounds the virus even in 2021."
    "This is great news and the right decision from the NHS as it means people living with HIV will be able to take up the potentially life-saving Covid-19 vaccine at their earliest opportunity. We are working towards a society where everyone living with HIV feels comfortable sharing their status with their doctor and other health professionals, but we're not there yet and we welcome this fast, pragmatic action."
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 22 February 2021
  21. Patient Safety Learning
    People who need to receive their covid vaccinations at home are missing out because their eligibility is not being recognised by GPs, experts have warned.
    There have been numerous reports of housebound people being told they are ineligible for a home visit in recent weeks, with some home care providers saying only a minority of their elderly clients have been vaccinated so far.
    Chit Selvarajah, policy manager at the charity Independent Age, said: “We have heard from people who say they are housebound being told they weren’t considered as housebound and told to go to a vaccination centre as they are not eligible for a home visit."
    “We don’t know how many people have been vaccinated but it’s likely to be very small numbers at the moment.”
    Ruthe Isden, head of health and care influencing at Age UK, believes some older people have “slipped into being effectively housebound” over the last year, and are not yet registered as such on GP databases.
    She said: “The pandemic has hit the fast forward button on ageing for a lot of people. They’ve aged a long way in a short period and seen their health really deteriorate, and often they are not going to proactively identify themselves as needing more help."
    “It’s vital we are thinking systematically about reaching this group. At the moment, there seems to be considerable variation in how people are followed up.”
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 22 February 2021
  22. Patient Safety Learning
    Patient positivity about NHS hospital services suffered a sharp drop during the autumn, and satisfaction with access is now well below pre-pandemic levels, according to analysis exclusively shared with HSJ.
    The analysis of social media and online sentiment by PEP Health appears to show that a surge of goodwill towards the health service during the first covid peak last spring dissipated last autumn.
    At that time, the first-wave peak had passed, but hospitals were getting a lot busier — with more emergency attendances, and efforts to get planned appointments and procedures back close to normal levels. Emergency departments were coming under strain, coping with infection control measures, and large numbers of very long waits for elective care had built up. 
    The drop in positive feeling towards NHS hospitals was particularly felt between October and January, especially with concerns over the speed of access to health services. The work only covers acute hospital services. 
    One hospital chief executive told HSJ the change in patient sentiment was palpable at the frontline. “There is quite a lot of chippiness from patients and relatives. The ‘we love the NHS’ feels a very long lost memory.
    “We see a lot of chippiness to staff, and aggression and irritability — which is understandable because everyone’s been waiting a long time — but is really unhelpful because everyone [staff are] knackered and trying to do their best.”
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 22 February 2021
  23. Patient Safety Learning
    Scientists have developed a genetic test to predict whether someone will develop a common type of blood cancer.
    The breakthrough could lead to potential patients being warned about the risk of progressive Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) and boost their chances of survival.
    CLL affects the white blood cells and tends to develop slowly over many years, mostly affecting those aged over 60. By studying blood samples of people with CLL, researchers found they often had the same "genetic tendency" to develop progressive forms of the illness.
    The team, from eight UK universities and the Institute for Cancer Research, said their work would help doctors "move towards a more personalised diagnosis of leukaemia".
    Haematology consultant Dr David Allsup, who is also a senior lecturer at Hull York Medical School, said: "Not only does the research inform us if patients have the genetic tendency to develop progressive CLL, but it also enables us to determine whether or not a patient's CLL will require treatment in the future or not."
    "That way, we are able to keep a close eye on the patients with a high risk, and have treatment options available as soon as they are required."
    Professor James Allan, from Newcastle University's Centre for Cancer, said: "Emerging evidence suggests that early treatment for patients at high risk of developing progressive CLL could significantly delay the onset of symptomatic leukaemia and improve survival."
    Read full story
    Source: The Independent, February 9 F2021
  24. Patient Safety Learning
    Over the past year, our NHS has risen to the challenges of the pandemic. But it’s been a very close-run thing. There have been well-publicised difficulties such as the shortage of ventilators, ICU beds and PPE, and the physical and staffing capacity of the health service has been strained to breaking point.
    GPs have managed the risks to patients who have been unable to receive specialist care. We now face a growing backlog of postponed treatments and emerging mental health issues. So if we were to imagine a post-Covid NHS, toughened by the challenges of the pandemic but better prepared for the future, what would it look like?
    To ensure the health service is capable of meeting the challenges it will face in the next decade and beyond, it will require both structural and local reforms. The word “reform” triggers unease among many NHS professionals, who have been subject to numerous reorganisations over the years and have witnessed efforts being diverted into reforms at the expense of improving patient care. While some of the changes in the recent NHS white paper seem sensible, their effectiveness will depend on the final detail.
    To ensure the focus remains on patients, all policy reforms and local changes should convincingly pass at least one of these six tests:
    Will they reduce demand on the NHS by preventing disease or improving wellbeing? Will they speed up the time between a patient seeking help and receiving treatment? Will they enhance patient safety before, during or after treatment? Will they enable better clinical outcomes? Will they provide better taxpayer value? And will they reduce the inequality of access that has resulted in some groups receiving less care than others? Read full story
    Source: The Guardian, 18 February 2021
  25. Patient Safety Learning
    Today is an anniversary that George Hencken never imagined. It is exactly one year since she caught COVID-19. But unlike most people who have suffered from the disease, she remains ill.
    “It’s a year since I’ve felt like myself,” she said. “It’s a year since my life as I knew it came to an end. And I don’t know if I’m going to get it back again.”
    Long Covid doesn’t quite describe the depths of her fatigue. “It’s not tiredness. It’s like having jet lag and a hangover. It feels like I’ve been poisoned,” she said.
    The problem for Hencken and the thousands still suffering from the virus months later is that long Covid doesn’t describe much at all.
    The umbrella term covers people who are breathless and fatigued, or who have brain fog, headaches and tingling arms, or who have chest pains and heart palpitations, or all of those and dozens more symptoms besides.
    Support groups such as LongCovidSOS have been fighting hard for the condition to be recognised and taken seriously – sufferers say they feel disbelieved, and doctors initially had little information, support or even funding.
    Last week the government announced £18.5m through the National Institute for Health Research to fund four major studies attempting to understand exactly what long Covid means, why it affects so many apparently healthy people, and how they can be helped. Research by University College London will track the health of 60,000 people, including people with long Covid and a control group who will wear a Fitbit-style wristband to measure heart rate, breathing and exercise levels.
    The aim is to chart and identify clusters of symptoms, Professor Nishi Chaturvedi said. “My sense is that the multiplicity of symptoms that people are reporting suggests to me and many others that it’s not one thing, but several syndromes. We’re not even at the starting point yet of knowing what it is,” she said.
    Read full story
    Source: The Guardian, 20 February 2021
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