The British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine have just published a working document outlining what specialist rehabilitation services could and should look in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Taken from the Executive Summary:

Rehabilitation forms a critical component of the acute care pathway, helping to relieve pressure on the acute and frontline services. It is shown to be both effective and cost-effective, whether through improving independence and societal reintegration; or managing the impacts of long-term disability including neuro-palliative care.

An as yet unquantifiable additional case-load of patients with post-Covid disability presenting with a wide range of problems due to cardio-pulmonary, musculoskeletal, neurological and psychological/psychiatric complications of the disease, compounded in many cases by de- conditioning from prolonged stays in ITU. As NHS services re-boot in the wake of the pandemic, there is an important opportunity to work collaboratively to rebuild services on a better, more co-operative model – a phoenix from the ashes. This document sets out the BSRM’s recommendations for rehabilitation services for adults aged 16 years and over in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic - in particular, the role of specialist rehabilitation to support patients with more complex rehabilitation needs.