The way the NHS worked with people living with Long Covid has been recognised in a national awards ceremony.
NHS Kent and Medway was named as winner of the 2022 Patient Experience Network National Award (PENNA) for commissioning for patient experience.
The award commends the way we have engaged with more than 900 people in co-designing services and support for people living with Long Covid.
Little is known about this debilitating new condition, so hearing about people’s lived experience of Long Covid was essential for clinicians and NHS managers to understand its impact on people’s lives.
A Patient Reference Group was involved in designing and monitoring Kent and Medway Post Covid Assessment Service. It was set up to assess a person’s condition and provide support in accessing services to help recovery. It opened in May 2021 and has now assessed in excess of 2,000 people.
Patients are now helping design and buy new services that go beyond assessment to provide more effective support and treatment for Long Covid, based on their lived experience.
Kate Langford, NHS Kent and Medway Chief Medical Officer, said: “I would like to congratulate all the NHS colleagues who have worked so hard to win this award, but we should also all be extremely grateful to the patients who have given their time and views to improve services.
“Many of these patients have now lived with this debilitating condition for more than two years and symptoms, such as fatigue and brain fog, sometimes makes their participation difficult so we see this award very much as recognition of their contribution as well.
“Our Engagement Team continues to make sure the voice of patients is heard in NHS Kent and Medway – we are already applying lessons from this work to a range of services, as there are always further improvements to make.”
Darren Winch, Long Covid Patient Reference Group member, said:
“Having the ability to talk to other patients, doctors and other health professionals has been a lifeline. We are all learning about this new illness and our point of view is being taken seriously. What is happening now, will help those in the future dealing with this.”
Rachel Parris, Deputy Director of NHS Kent and Medway’s Health Improvement Team, said: “Having patients on the delivery group has been challenging but they always kept us focused on what mattered.”
Clare Delap, Engagement Lead for NHS Kent and Medway, said: “Our Long Covid Patient Reference Group were supportive of us applying for this award – I am really looking forward to telling them that their hard work has been recognised.”
The winners of the Patient Experience Network National Awards were announced at the University of Birmingham yesterday (Wednesday, 28 September).
The work of the Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance was also recognised as finalists in the PENNA22 Experience of Cancer Care, and the Communicating Effectively with Patients and Families categories.
Find out more about how patients have helped us co-design services for Long Covid