Category Archives: Covid-19

Survey – Gathering evidence of Long COVID

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For some people, a Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome or ‘Long COVID’. Many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks. But for some people, symptoms can last longer.

Common Long COVID symptoms include:

  • Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain or tightness
  • Problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”)
  • Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
  • Heart palpitations
  • Dizziness
  • Pins and needles
  • Joint pain
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Tinnitus, earaches
  • Feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
  • A high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to smell or taste
  • Rashes

The five Healthwatch’s across North Central London – Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington – are working together to gather insight into experiences of Long COVID to support the development of services that help people to manage their symptoms. There are concerns that people are struggling with this illness and not coming forward.

If you have been struggling with any of these symptoms for more than 4 weeks after having COVID-19, please complete this survey to share your experiences. We will share your anonymous feedback and the overall findings with healthcare providers and the local Clinical Commissioning Group to ensure your voice is heard. Responders can enter to win a £50 raffle as a thank you for their time.

If you would like any assistance in completing the survey or would like it in another format, please contact anna.walsh@healthwatchcamden.co.uk or call 020 7383 2402.

Your community needs you: could you be a COVID-19 Health Champion?

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Barnet Council is calling on anyone who lives, works, or studies in the borough to sign up to become a COVID-19 Health Champion.

Dr Tamara Djuretic, Director of Public Health for Barnet Council, said:

“We are launching this initiative because it is very difficult to navigate through COVID-19 information.”

“It keeps changing every day and it can be very, complex – so what we want to do is to get as many people from our communities signed up as a Health Champion. You don’t need to be an expert; you just need to be able to share our information and advice with people in your community.”

“We will work with our Health Champions to disseminate this information in a much simpler and visual way, and in different languages if that is required for our diverse communities in Barnet.”

Anyone can sign up by visiting   https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/health-champions

Completing the registration form and signing up to attend the next welcome session.

Information and infographics will be sent to Health Champions to share with their friends, families, and social networks.

The Health Champions will also be able to share their local insight to help the council improve communications and increase knowledge of how messages are working.

Dr Djuretic added: “We want everyone to be clearly informed about Covid-19, so they can make good decisions in terms of social distancing, self-isolation and infection control to help make Barnet safer.”

“Please register online to join the Barnet Health Champions network. You will receive information through emails and WhatsApp, and then you will be asked to disseminate it through your own channels. This can be in whatever form you like, using whatever channel you think is most effective.”

“Please go online and register today. Thank you.”

Barnet Health Champions is a Barnet Council programme coordinated in partnership by Groundwork London, part of Barnet Together. For further information, email barnethealthchampions@groundwork.org.uk