New CSP Covid-19 rehabilitation standards launched

They apply to anyone with rehabilitation needs– aged 18 or over - who has or has had Covid-19, and are relevant to people at all stages of their Covid-19 recovery, their families and carers. This is whether their care is managed in community settings throughout or if they were admitted to hospital at any stage.

There are seven quality standards:

1. Needs assessment, rehabilitation planning and review
2. Personalised rehabilitation
3. Self-management
4. Communication and information
5. Coordinated rehabilitation and care pathways
6. Evaluation, audit and research 
7. Personal protective equipment and infection control

Ensuring a high standard of care for all Covid-19 survivors 

A group of CSP professional networks and individual expert members supporting the community rehabilitation programme were consulted on the draft standards.

Sarah Di Biase, chair of AGILE, said,‘It is vital that physiotherapy workers and service managers give equal consideration to these standards if we are to ensure all Covid-19 survivors living in their communities receive the same high standard of care as those requiring hospitalisation for their Covid illness.

Comprehensive assessment of need must be available to all adults with Covid-19 and rehabilitation needs, irrespective of the setting for their care.

'Such assessments need not only take place in the acute phase of Covid-19 illness: everyone who has survived Covid should have optimal care and support, to give them the best chance of recovering and regaining their pre-illness level of independence and quality of life.

‘Community rehabilitation for people who have had Covid requires a holistic approach and must consider the individual's comorbidity or multimorbidity, not just their Covid signs and symptoms - the standards make this explicit.’

She concludes: ‘It is wonderful to see an emphasis on self-management within the standards - including the need for tailored support and resources to enable self-management, which recognises the contribution of family and carers.’