Long Covid Support Scotland

Long Covid Support Scotland is the brainchild of the team behind The Cheyne Gang©, a small Scottish Incorporated Charitable Organisation (SCIO) that uses singing to support breath control in people living with long-term respiratory conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Bronchiectasis, as well as other conditions that cause breathlessness. 

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As lockdown conditions were easing, the team were receiving enquiries from people who were enduring symptoms of Long Covid, including breathlessness, fatigue, and brain fog. For a list of common symptoms of Long Covid please click HERE. 

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In response to these enquiries The Cheyne Gang set out to search for the provision of support clinics in the NHS in Scotland. They discovered that the provision was inconsistent across all Health Board areas and that, despite the absolute best intentions and hard work from the NHS staff involved, Long Covid was a new phenomenon that lacked established management protocols.   The Scottish Government took the decision to channel money into Long Covid research, which is producing some interesting and helpful results. However, this approach has left a gap in the day-to-day support for those living with the multi-faceted symptoms of Long Covid. While people can be referred on a pathway to individual specialist health areas, there is, to date, no provision for supporting and managing the condition as a whole. 

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Having identified this gap, The Cheyne Gang, with financial backing from The Sir Tom Farmer Foundation, have produced the Long Covid Support Scotland website, a resource, with video contributions from a mix of healthcare professionals, exercise coaches and, of course, singing teachers. 

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The videos address several issues and common symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, changes in the voice.    Some of the videos offer advice and explanation about symptoms, while others offer practical measures such as gentle exercise, singing and relaxation.  They are designed to be “bite-sized” to allow for pacing and choice.   A list of topics covered can be found HERE.

 

The team at The Cheyne Gang hope that you find something on here to help you.  Long Covid is an evolving condition, so, if we have missed something, please let us know and we will try to update the site accordingly.