Kevin Thomson will raise money for Scotland’s largest health charity in honour of his dad Jim who died of a stroke six years ago
A Musselburgh man will take part in an adrenaline-fuelled fundraiser in honour of his dad.
Kevin Thomson will be one of hundreds of brave daredevils to abseil 165 feet down the UNESCO World Heritage Site on Sunday, 28th September to support Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.
The senior playwork practitioner said: “I’ve always wanted to do something for charity and never have.
“In 2019 following an infection my dad, Jim, died of a massive stroke at the age of 77. That started quite a tumultuous six years in my life and that’s me just getting back onto an even keel now.
“At the start of the year I was thinking about doing something different. So I emailed CHSS before a date was confirmed for this year but once the date was announced they got in touch and helped me set up my fundraising page. I just want to do it in his memory.”
Jim had an aortic valve replaced at the end of 2017 but was taken into hospital in June 2019 with an infection. After being moved hospitals from the Western to the General, he became unwell and died of a massive stroke waiting for a procedure.
Kevin said: “He was my best friend. My mum died when I was 18 so it was me and him through thick and thin. We thought when he had the valve replaced that he’d get a new lease of life. He did all the right things, he looked after himself and this thing just reared its head unfortunately.”
The 52-year-old added: “When I was thinking about charities, I’d done a little bit of rock climbing in my teenage years, and I remembered abseiling and I thought it sounded quite fun and when it coincided the abseil was to raise funds for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland it was the perfect opportunity and a great cause.
“There’s a lot of motivation for me. I think if you’re able bodied you should at least try and do one thing for charity because there’s so many people in a different boat who, if they were able-bodied, would be doing things themselves.
“He would be laughing at me every step of the way, and I’m actually surprising myself, to be honest. I was speaking to a friend who has done it and she said it’s a totally unique experience doing it off the bridge.”
If you’re inspired to take part in the abseil yourself this year you can sign up at https://www.abseil.scot.
Stephanie Wilks, Community, Events and Corporate Fundraiser for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland said: “We thank Kevin for his participation in the 2025 Forth Bridge Abseil and wish him all the best in his fundraising and on the day.
“Every pound raised through fundraising helps CHSS to support the one in five people in Scotland who are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid to live life to the full.
“It helps us to provide advice and support through our free Advice Line service, stroke nurses, online health information, support groups, supported self management courses and much more.”
If you’re living with the effects of a chest, heart or stroke condition or Long Covid and are looking for advice and information, please contact Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0899.
Building on Scottish Opera’s ground breaking Breath Cycle project, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is collaborating with the country’s largest performing arts organisation to improve the lives of those living with aphasia, a communication difficulty that is a common effect of strokes
A new research report launched earlier this month by CHSS revealed that poor mental health and loneliness are severely impacting people in Scotland living with aphasia
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) and Scottish Opera have joined forces to develop online singing classes for people living with aphasia, which is caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls language, and in some cases leaves some unable to speak at all.
These new CHSS and Scottish Opera sessions coincide with Aphasia Awareness Month, which runs throughout June. This year’s theme is #AphasiaTogether, emphasising that those with the condition do not need to deal with this on their own.
This new strand of creative music making with CHSS — Scotland’s largest health charity working to help people with chest, heart and stroke conditions live life to the full — expands upon Scottish Opera’s pioneering Breath Cycle project, designed to support those with a range of conditions affecting lung health.
Following research and development sessions with medical educators, CHSS staff and people living with aphasia are working with Scottish Opera to provide supported communication and aphasia training, and help deliver the therapeutic singing, song-writing and breath control sessions.
The aim of these workshops is to improve the mental wellbeing and confidence in communication of those with aphasia and respiratory issues including COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), across the country.
Earlier this month, CHSS launched a report about the impact of aphasia on those living with the condition which revealed that:
More than half (52 per cent) of people with aphasia say their condition affects their mental health
Nearly half (48 per cent) with aphasia said they experienced loneliness as a result of their condition.
43 per cent of people with aphasia said it impacted on their ability to work as before
A third (34 per cent) of people with aphasia reported being treated negatively due to their condition.
CEO of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Jane-Claire Judson, commented: “Working with Scottish Opera to unlock the therapeutic benefits of singing and song-writing to people living with aphasia is a fantastic opportunity to tackle real issues facing people across the country.
“We regularly hear from the people we support that living with a communication difficulty following stroke can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness and have a negative impact on mental health.
“We look forward to bringing people together to experience the joy of singing with others whilst exploring the benefits of singing and song writing to their communication skills.”
Jane Davidson MBE, Director of Outreach & Education at Scottish Opera, said: “Following on from the increased awareness of our Breath Cycle II programme in 2020, which was designed for people living with Long COVID and other respiratory conditions, Scottish Opera is excited to partner with CHSS to support people with aphasia.
“The work that CHSS undertakes each year with hundreds of thousands of Scots has set really high standards in the positive integration of mental health and well-being initiatives with clinical intervention.
“As Scotland’s largest performing arts company, we feel that the values of both our organisations are beautifully aligned in this new collaboration that seeks to enhance the quality of people’s lives across the country.”
Composer Gareth Williams, who along with writer Martin O’Connor, mentored the most recent online song writing Breath Cycle sessions said: “Our encounters with the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland team, and our first conversations with our participants who have aphasia have been so inspiring.
“Our challenge is to help people find and connect with their voices again, both their physical voices and their creative voices. There are incredible stories to tell in this community, and together we will find them and share them through song.”
Next Tuesday 28th of May at 1pm Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) will be hosting a COPD workshop. If you have COPD, researchers from NHS Lothian and The University of Edinburgh, want to hear about your experience of having COPD, so they can design their research to meet you needs.
You can expect nice and welcoming atmosphere, a warm cup of tea and £20 voucher for you time.
If you are struggling to get to PCHP, transport can be provided too.
To sign up for workshop please fill in a form https://bit.ly/3WS3VCZ or use a QR code on a poster or Call Sammy Waite Patient and Community involvement in research officer 07385347040
@CHSScotland have launched an advice line with trained healthcare professionals to listen and help you process what you’ve experienced and provide advice, support and a friendly, listening ear.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland has partnered with the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Resuscitation Research Group at the University of Edinburgh (RRG) to launch a pilot service to support those who witness or provide CPR to someone who experiences cardiac arrest at home or in the community.
The Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OCHA) Aftercare project is funded by the Scottish Government and will provide access to support for anyone participating in CPR or witnessing CPR outwith a hospital setting.
It is estimated that between 3,000 and 6,000 Scots are involved in providing CPR after cardiac arrest to members of the public each year. This can be a traumatic experience, which can impact on their wellbeing and result in emotional and social challenges.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland has produced wallet-sized cards promoting the service for paramedics, police, and firefighters to give directly to members of the public at the scene of the incident. Each card includes the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Advice Line number, so people can immediately call an advisor to talk through what happened.
Speaking at the launch of the OHCA service, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Chief Executive, Jane-Claire Judson, said: “Every year, thousands of Scots carry out CPR or witness CPR being performed on someone at home or in a public place. This can be a traumatic experience, and until now there has been little support available.
“We are delighted to be launching this pilot service in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service and funded by the Scottish Government. Emergency services staff giving out our advice line cards at the scene of the incident means people can get help immediately, or at whatever point afterwards they feel they need it.”
Steven Short, Programme Lead for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest for The Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Performing or witnessing potentially life-saving CPR can be a difficult experience to process. The launch of this innovative pilot service means that all individuals who are affected by out-of-hospital cardiac arrest can easily and quickly access support and, if needed, further aftercare.
“Ambulance service clinicians who respond to these cardiac arrests will have the wallet cards to give out on scene. The details on the cards will enable those who need it to access the advice line to talk through what has happened with an advisor and help them process the events.”
Dr Gareth Clegg, Principal Investigator, RRG, University of Edinburgh commented: “Attempting to help save the life of a loved one or neighbour by performing CPR or using a public access defibrillator is the right thing to do, but helping out can leave bystanders with questions, and sometimes a need to talk things through.
“This groundbreaking initiative signals a commitment to caring for those who have been willing to step up when someone in their community has suffered an OHCA.”
Lived Experience – Lynsey Duncan
Lynsey Duncan is the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Deputy Head of Clinical Services. A registered nurse, she lives in Buckie with her husband and two daughters.
In November 2021, Lynsey’s father-in-law John collapsed at home after a cardiac arrest. Lynsey battled for 20 minutes to save his life, performing CPR, before paramedics arrived. Sadly, their efforts were in vain and John, 70, passed away.
As a nurse, Lynsey had been involved in CPR before, but the aftermath of John’s death was different because she’d never had to administer the treatment to a member of her own family. The experience left her upset but she didn’t want to share her feelings with her grieving loved ones.
That’s why Lynsey fully supports the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Aftercare project. Here she explains why.
“My father-in-law John was a farmer and he’d been diagnosed with farmer’s lung – that’s a respiratory disease caused by exposure to dust from hay, straw and grain. We’d seen a deterioration in his health over a few years, and he and my mother-in-law, Pat, moved from the farm into Buckie, near to where my husband Steven and I and our two girls live.
“We’d been on a family holiday with them two weeks’ earlier, and I noticed John was quite unwell and struggling to breathe. About a week later, he was given oxygen to have at home to help his breathing.
“On that day – it was November 5, 2021 – my girls had friends over for tea. I was busy making food and Steven had taken the dogs for a walk. He called me and told me to get to his mum and dad’s immediately. I knew something was seriously wrong, so I jumped in the car and headed over.
“Pat met me at the front door and told me John had fallen. He was in the bathroom. As soon as I saw him, I knew he hadn’t fallen. I knew he’d collapsed. Pat was on the phone to 999, telling them John had fallen, but I took the phone and explained he had arrested, and we needed help right away.
“I started to perform CPR. I’m a nurse. I’ve done this before. But it’s very different to be doing this to someone you know, someone you’re close to.
“He had been propped up against the toilet. I got him on to the floor and started chest compressions. I spent 20 minutes doing this. And throughout all of this, my mother-in-law was standing watching. It was an awful experience.
“We live in Buckie, which is fairly rural, so the first people to come were the wildcat responders. They are volunteers who are trained to provide early CPR and defibrillation. One of them took over from me as I was exhausted. Then the paramedics arrived and took control.
“My husband had arrived by then, too. I just ran to him and had a bit of a meltdown. I told him not to go through to the bathroom and kept saying to him ‘I tried, I tried’ because I knew John was gone.
“The paramedics worked on John for another 30 minutes, but it was too late. It was horrific for all of us, especially Pat. She kept saying ‘John wouldn’t want this’. She’d said that to me, but I’m a nurse – once I’d started the compressions, I couldn’t stop. And the paramedics were the same. They had to do everything possible.
“We then had to wait for the police to come because obviously this was a sudden death. And it was only when I was speaking to the police about what had happened that the enormity of it hit me.
“I kept going over it in my head, thinking ‘what just happened?’ I had bruises on my hands and cuts on my knees from the force of sitting on the bathroom floor doing CPR for so long. I even lost a toenail because I’d been leaning so heavily on my toes.
“But I couldn’t share any of this with my family because they were grieving. I didn’t want to tell them I was worried I hadn’t done enough. I felt guilty even though I had no reason to.
“That’s why I think this initiative is so important. I’m a trained medical professional, but when a nurse friend called me the next day, I broke down when I told her what had happened. What I really needed was to talk to someone who wasn’t emotionally attached who could reassure me I’d done what I could. And that is hopefully what the Advice Line will be able to do for anyone involved in an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
“I’ll never underestimate what my mother-in-law went through. She wasn’t only witnessing the death of her husband but her daughter-in-law trying to save him. I can only imagine the emotions she was feeling. If the emergency services had been able to give us both a card that said the Advice Line was there for support, I think she might have made that call. That might have been further down the line for Pat, but for me, it would have been immediately.
“Pat and my husband and my sister-in-law are fully supportive of me telling John’s story like this. They had no idea how this had affected me until they watched the video I made. They want to make sure everyone is supported when they need it after an incident like this.”
Anyone wishing to contact the CHSS Advice Line can do so on 0808 801 0899 or at adviceline@chss.org.uk
An innovative project to provide much-needed support to Long Covid patients has been extended to Midlothian.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland has worked with NHS Lothian, Pogo Digital Healthcare, patients and GPs to develop the individualised and easy-to-use Long Covid Pathway.
The pathway was piloted in Edinburgh in 2022, involving 36 GP practices and 173 patients, with plans to roll out across Edinburgh and the Lothians by the end of 2023.
GPs can refer patients directly into the pathway, which provides people with bespoke digital advice and also connects them to a CHSS nurse-led helpline and peer support.
The digital aspect of the service, the award-winning ‘MyTailoredTalks’, helps people manage their condition day-to-day while providing feedback to their GP to help with ongoing care.
Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive of Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland, commented: “In Scotland, 94,000 people have been living with Long Covid for over a year. We know that people living with the condition feel scared, abandoned and left behind.
“Our Long Covid Support Pathway allows us to better support people living with the condition in Edinburgh and Lothian. Its success means we hope to see it rolled out across the country, helping more people with Long Covid to live their lives to the full.”
Professor Tim Walsh, Director of Innovation for NHS Lothian, said: “It’s been really important for us to bring together expertise from a range of organisations to better improve the support available for people with Long Covid.
“We know living with this can be really challenging and patients with Long Covid need support that can be individualised and available on demand, and we’re proud to have worked with our partners to have developed such support in Lothian.”
The Midlothian Health & Social Care Partnership Long Covid Project Team has welcomed the roll-out.. A spokesperson commented: “During the pilot phase, this pathway empowered people to make a successful transition after diagnosis towards self-management of Long Covid through effective and targeted self-management resources.
“GP practitioners in Midlothian are looking forward to utilising the pathway, which will remove travel barriers while still providing person-centered support and reducing demand on services. The combination of written, video and telephone support will provide people in Midlothian access to the most appropriate support for them.
“Importantly, support and self-management resources provided by MyTailoredTalks and CHSS are fed back to the referring GP without them needing to seek out this information. The pathway will enable people in Midlothian living with Long Covid to self-manage their symptoms and access up-to-date and validated information relevant to their needs.”
None of this would have been possible without NHS Lothian Charity, which has invested £120,000 in the platform so far.
Jane Ferguson, Director of NHS Lothian Charity, said: “As the official charity of NHS Lothian, we have a key role to play in supporting NHS Lothian to take forward innovative projects that help improve the health and wellbeing of communities.
“Thanks to generous donations to our COVID-19 appeal, we were able to provide initial funding for ‘MyTailoredTalks’ and are delighted to see this now being extended to Midlothian.
“This has been a great example of partners coming together from across the sector to put in place innovative solutions that support our communities dealing with the effects of Long Covid.”
Pogo Studio designed MyTailoredTalks, which recently won the Technology Enabled Independent Living Award at the Digital Health and Care Awards 2023.
Jack Francis, Managing Director of Pogo Studio, said: “This has been a fantastic, collaborative partnership to bring our expertise in technology to, and we have learnt hugely from working with NHS Lothian, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and people living with Long Covid.
“Long Covid continues to be a huge issue across Scotland and so we’re delighted that our work so far is demonstrating that MyTailoredTalks can help to support people in their recovery.”
Thousands more people living with long COVID will find it easier to get help as the Scottish Government boosts funding for an advice line.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) has been awarded £157,000 to continue offering expert advice on how to manage long COVID symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness.
The charity will recruit extra staff to ensure more people can speak to a trained nurse who can offer practical support for anyone struggling with the long-term effects of COVID.
This service is helping ease winter pressure on the NHS by enabling people to speak directly to healthcare practitioners from the comfort of their own homes. This is one of the many ways the Scottish Government is boosting care in the community to help ease pressure on A&E departments.
This complements the support for long COVID already being delivered by NHS boards. The Scottish Government has made an initial £3 million available to boards to develop local pathways providing co-ordinated access to services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and mental health support.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I recognise how debilitating long COVID is for many people across Scotland – it is therefore vital that people can get help to manage their symptoms and know when to escalate and see a doctor.
“Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s service is helping people with long COVID across Scotland from the comfort of their own homes – helping support them sooner and easing the pressure on our NHS over the winter months.”
CHSS Interim Chief Executive Allan Cowie said: “There are 180,000 people living with Long COVID in Scotland today and they desperately need services like this to help them get their lives back.
“CHSS is grateful to the Scottish Government for funding the national CHSS Advice Line. The advice line is a key part of the Pathway service, and this funding means we’re ready and able to work with every health board and GP in Scotland.”
Advice line user Chloe Folta, 26, from Penicuik became ill with COVID-19 in December 2021.
The biology and science teacher said: “I was referred to CHSS in March. I filled out an online survey that asked what kind of support or help I needed, so I was able to request telephone support. And that was so helpful to me.
“The calls were partly about how I could manage my symptoms, deal with the pain and eventually get back to work, and they were really specific to me, which was great. What was really beneficial was that CHSS gave me advice on how to talk to my doctor about the symptoms.
“I still suffer from fatigue and muscle and chest pain. Brain fog has been a real issue, too. I was very active before, and it’s been hard to adjust and scale back to doing almost nothing.
“It felt very supportive to speak to someone from CHSS and know that someone understood and was sympathetic to what I was going through. Having this service is a must for people in my situation. We all need that support.”
Two community support co-ordinators will deliver one-to-one and group support, and five healthcare practitioners will work on the CHSS Advice Line to offer expert support, advice and reassurance to anyone living with long COVID.
To contact the Advice Line nurses:
Call 0808 801 0899 (FREE from landlines and mobiles)
An innovative pilot project to transform support for Long Covid patients in Scotland is underway to improve care for people living with the condition and dramatically relieve the pressure on GPs.
The platform, called ‘MyTailoredTalks’, has been developed by Pogo Digital Healthcare and has been jointly funded by NHS Lothian, CHSS and the NHS Lothian Charity (formerly Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation) – with £120,000 invested in the platform so far.
It will allow GPs and other clinicians to refer patients automatically to the CHSS’s Long Covid support services and to provide tailored self-management information to patients.
Over 70 patients are taking part in the pilot across 26 GP practices in the region.
The team behind the project is appealing for partners to expand the ground-breaking innovation beyond Lothian so that everyone with Long Covid in Scotland can get better access to support.
Lothian-based GP Amy Small is living with Long Covid. She has been at the heart of developing the new system. She said:“As a GP and someone living with Long Covid this new digital system will be hugely beneficial to patients and primary care.
“It’s a big breakthrough in integrated care. It gives patients direct access to support to help manage their condition.
“GPs will also now be able to seamlessly refer their patients through to the charity’s Long Covid Support Service which provides one-to-one support and advice from experienced advisors who can provide more time to the patients than GPs can.”
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf welcomed the project. He said:“Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Long Covid support service not only supports people living with Long Covid, but also helps reduce some of the pressure on NHS services. That is why we have funded and continue to support Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland to deliver a Long Covid Support Service.
“I welcome this collaboration and investment. This kind of digital innovation is just one example of the flexible way in which our NHS boards across Scotland are adapting to meet the needs of people with Long Covid. We are spending £3m this year to support NHS boards like NHS Lothian to develop and deliver the best models of care appropriate for their local population’s needs.
“I look forward to seeing the full results of the pilot exercise and we are committed to working closely with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland to share the learning generated from it to support the sustainability of our health services.”
Professor Tim Walsh, Director of Innovation for NHS Lothian, said:“This project shows what can be achieved by the NHS, patients, charities and digital expertise working closely together to find innovative solutions.
“The personalised ‘MyTailoredTalks’ have been designed to provide trusted ‘bite sized’ information for patients to access whenever they need to and be able to share with family or friends.
“We hope that these, together with the holistic support CHSS offer, will make a real difference to people living with Long Covid.”
Allan Cowie, interim chief executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said:“For the past two years we’ve been campaigning alongside people living with Long Covid to ensure that systems are in place to help them easily access the care and support they desperately need.
“This system has the potential to transform access to wraparound care through GP services. It has been developed with clinicians and people with Long Covid and we want it to be adopted right across the country as soon as possible.
“It not only makes this process easier for people living with Long Covid, but it helps to alleviate some of the pressure that primary care is under by allowing clinicians to easily refer their patients into a service they can trust.”
Greig Brown, 44, contracted Covid-19 in January 2021 and has been hospitalised twice because of the condition.Once a keen runner and cyclist, Greig now lives with the symptoms of Long Covid, suffering from severe breathing difficulties and memory loss.
He has not been able to return to his job as a joiner at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, and he fears he will never regain the health and fitness he once had.
Greig lives in Armadale, West Lothian, with his partner, Sam. Their plans to marry are up in the air as they have had to use their savings while Greig has been off long-term sick.
He says: “This is my reality. I am so breathless and exhausted every day that simply getting downstairs and settled on the couch wipes me out.
“I used to walk miles every day around the hospital, carrying tools and anything else I needed. Now I can’t even walk to the kitchen without needing to sit down.
“My GPs kept telling me Long Covid is all new to them, too, and they don’t know how to treat it.
“I feel as if people like me have fallen through the cracks. I hope having a system in place like this NHS Lothian pilot that lets doctors refer patients directly to the CHSS support service can make a real difference to everyone living with Long Covid symptoms.”
Sanjay Singh, Head of Funding Programmes with NHS Lothian Charity, said the pilot is a “great example of partners working together during the pandemic to achieve patient care that is personalised and, crucially, in response to Long Covid, as we learn more about this awful illness as time goes on.”
“We were delighted to be involved in this innovative project and to be able to support through funding made available to support our communities dealing with the effects of Long Covid,” he said.
Jack Francis, chief executive and founder of Pogo Digital Healthcare, added:“Working in partnership with healthcare professionals, patients and technology experts to develop this innovative new healthcare pathway has resulted in a unique way for patients to manage their Long Covid symptoms.
“I am delighted with the pilot engagement so far from both the patient groups and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s advice line team, and it has been great to be part of such an innovative new healthcare solution.”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has praised Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s work to reform the way people with lung conditions access rehabilitation and support.
Covid-19 is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in the numbers of people managing what will possibly be long-term lung conditions and needing support for rehab and recovery.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland have been working with NHS Lothian to make rehabilitation support to accessible to patients who are recovering from Covid-19.
A total of 2,807 people in NHS Lothian have been confirmed as having Covid-19 since that start of the outbreak.
As of 16 June, 131 patients were in NHS Lothian hospitals with Covid-19, 193 patients with suspected Covid-19 and 6 patients in Intensive Care.
3,929 patients who have tested positive for Covid-19, who have previously required hospital treatment, have now been discharged from hospital since the start of the outbreak, with the most serious cases having longer term conditions.
A full list of measures put into place by NHS Lothian and CHSS Scotland is included below.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “I am pleased that NHS Lothian have put a range of measures in place to support survivors who have had severe cases of Covid-19.
“Having rehabilitation support in place for patients is crucial for their recovery and quality of life after having Coronavirus.
“The Covid-19 pandemic will have an impact on NHS Scotland for years to come, with increased waiting times for treatments.
“Prevention and recovery will be more important than ever for keeping people in Scotland healthy.
“I have called on SNP Ministers to develop a national Covid-19 rehab strategy to support people who will have long term health conditions from contracting Covid-19.”
Measures put into place by NHS Lothian and CHSS
Establishment of a comprehensive rehabilitation and support pathway for survivors of severe COVID across all three Lothian acute sites.
An Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) discusses all cases weekly, and agrees personalised requirements for physiotherapy, dietetics, Occupational Therapy (OT), and Speech and Language Therapist (SLT).
In addition, all patients have psychological review and support.
Case management is coordinated by an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) trained nurse, who uses previously established pathways to liaise with relevant health-social care hubs, GPs, pharmacy, and other community based services in relation to anticipatory discharge planning and support post discharge.
Rehabilitation services at Astley Ainslie Hospital (AAH) join the weekly Multidisciplinary Team and where appropriate review patients and transfer them at an appropriate time to the AAH.
NHS Lothian are also working with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) to liaise with their community staff (who are linked with the Managed Clinical Network (MCN) for respiratory).
NHS Lothian are producing a patient/family information resource for COVID survivors in collaboration with CHSS (funded in part by the Edinburgh and Lothian Health Foundation).
There has also been a community advice line resource set up by therapists in Edinburgh which allows patients to access community services such as pulmonary rehabilitation’.
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs says health boards must start planning now for rehabilitation support for people who have had severe cases of Coronavirus.
Covid-19 is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in the numbers of people managing what will possibly be long-term lung conditions and needing support for rehab and recovery.
The number of people who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease in NHS Lothian has increased by 70% since 2011/12, to 19,167 people, a higher increase than any other region in Scotland.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland are working with health boards, including NHS Lothian, to reform the way people with lung conditions access rehabilitation and support.
Vital support, such as Pulmonary Rehabilitation, could benefit thousands of people in Lothian, as well as allowing the health board to make significant savings in the long term.
The charity have a number of initiatives in place to support those living with chest, heart and stroke conditions during the Coronavirus epidemic, including their freephone advice line Nurses: 0808 801 0899
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Health Spokesperon, said: “It is right that health boards are focusing their efforts on maximising the number of intensive care beds, increasing ventilator capacity and continuing to treat those who are most sick.
“A high number of people in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s, who have breathing difficulties and are in the high risk category during the Coronavirus outbreak, would benefit from this treatment.
“NHS Lothian must start putting plans in place now for breathing rehabilitation, so that patients who have had Coronavirus can access this treatment and start their recovery.”
Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “The devastating impact of coronavirus will see many survivors living with poor lung health, perhaps for the rest of their lives. They could be left dealing with breathlessness which can cause worry and anxiety, but there are rehabilitation programmes which can help.
“Physical activity is hugely important to recovery and it is key to living well with chest conditions. At the moment our local support groups which normally provide group exercise can’t meet up.
“We’re making sure that people can still keep active at home by sending out short videos and information on activities everyone can do. We’re also busy working with health boards across Scotland to make sure our services alleviate some of the pressures on the NHS.
“No-one fully understands what long-term effects coronavirus will have on people’s health – but we do know that support for rehab and recovery is going to be more important than ever.
“Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is urgently making plans and adapting our services to make sure we’re there for everyone who needs us, now and in the future.”
The number of people who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease in NHS Lothian has increased by 70% since 2011/12, to 19,167 people, a higher increase than any other region in Scotland.Continue reading Alarming rise in COPD cases in Lothian
