The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA) and Salford City Council have teamed up to offer long Covid patients in Salford access to an app which helps track recovery.
The app, which was developed by Elaros, in partnership with The University of Leeds NHS Trust, allows patients to self-report symptoms of long-Covid and chart what impact it is having on their daily wellbeing.
It uses the latest scientific research with patient answering a series of questions to record their health status before contracting Covid, and what it is now. The information is displayed in radar plots and uploaded into the patient record via a website.
Patients are asked to regularly update the app and over time it shows what progress they are making with clinicians able to use this data to introduce changes to patients’ care management plans.
The launch of the app in Salford is a result of a team from the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA) working with Salford City Council’s Health Improvement Service to support people suffering from persistent symptoms after contracting Covid-19.
Sarah Cannon, programme manager at NCA, said: “The app means information can now be sent electronically direct to the Long Covid Clinic Team, so they have information ahead of appointments. We can even decide on the length and type of appointments using the tool to match the needs of the patient.
“The tool will also help with reporting data required for long Covid at a national level.”
The app and its website forms part of a £3.4million National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) – funded project called the LOCOMOTION Study. The project will see Elaros’ C-19 YRS platform adopted across all four nations with the aim of helping to devise new ways of optimising the delivery of treatments and services for long Covid.