People in Colchester suffering from the tough after-effects of long Covid-19 are receiving vital support from the NHS.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital, has so far received 278 referrals for its Suffolk and North East Essex Long Covid-19 Assessment Service since the service was launched in December last year and has made 365 onward referrals.

Patients are being sent to the trust’s Care Co-ordination Centre to receive support for many of the symptoms of long Covid-19, including help to address pain, fatigue and a persistent high temperature, which have continued for more than 12 weeks.

Nicky Bullard, the Care Co-ordination Centre service manager, said: “Long Covid-19 can have a huge impact on people and can affect them in lots of different ways, which means they may need ongoing support from more than one service.

“Our team makes that process easier by offering easy access to a single, integrated package of care.

“The service has been well received by patients since it launched as we are able to put everything in place which they may need and track them through their recovery, in turn making sure they don’t fall through any gaps between services.”

After receiving referrals for assessment, patients are then tracked to make sure they receive the care they need, while the care co-ordination centre team also arrange follow-ups at 12 and 26 weeks to check whether they can be discharged,

Lee Taylor, head of strategy for NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk, NHS West Suffolk and NHS North East Essex clinical commissioning groups, which developed the service, said: “This model has been developed thanks to the combined input of those in primary and secondary care, our allied health professionals, IT and digital specialists and our partners in the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance and the east and west Suffolk alliances.”

Long Covid-19 is a problem which has devastated the lives of many survivors.

The Office for National Statistics reported in the four-week period ending March 6, an estimated 1.1 million people in the UK reported experiencing the condition.