Keele University’s Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham has contributed to new return-to-work guidance for people who are living with the long-term effects of Covid-19.

Although Covid-19 can be a relatively brief and mild illness for most people, the phenomenon of Long-Covid emerged in early summer 2020. People affected can experience a range of debilitating symptoms including fatigue, ‘brain fog’, gastro-intestinal symptoms, chest pain, and breathlessness.

Professor Chew-Graham worked with a team, led by Dr Ira Madan, Consultant Occupational Physician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and Reader in Occupational Medicine at King’s College London, and other industry experts, to develop this guidance for the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians. The guide, which draws upon Professor Chew-Graham’s previous research into Long-Covid, aims to help health professionals assist their patients with returning to work if they are continuing to struggle with symptoms of Long-Covid.

The guidance includes advice to health professionals about how to work with their patients to assess their fitness for work by evaluating their current health condition and the type of work they do.

Professor Chew-Graham, Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University’s School of Medicine, said: “This is important and much-needed guidance for healthcare professionals who are dealing with a new condition in which the evidence is emerging.”