NoRCoRP Assessment Clinic (NoRCoRP)

The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19) pandemic, has affected over 13 million people, and caused significant worldwide mortality and morbidity. Frequent long-term respiratory complications include persistent breathlessness and fatigue, with potential for ongoing organising pneumonia and new pulmonary fibrosis as well as thromboembolic disease. Additional features seen in at least some patients post hospital include impaired musculoskeletal function, impaired renal function, neurological impairment, cardiac dysfunction and significant psychiatric morbidity.

The majority of patients with COVID-19 were not admitted to hospital, and the longer-term consequences of infection with SARS-CoV-2 in this much larger patient group are unknown. Whilst many patients had relatively mild disease and made a good recovery, a significant number have been left with symptoms similar to those who were admitted to hospital.

In setting up a post COVID-19 respiratory review clinic, we expect to generate new findings, support studies that have already been submitted for funding, to provide a focus for further grant funding, and to provide an infrastructure to support new clinical trials. We also expect the insights gained from research using this platform to be of value for service planning in the region and beyond. We will prioritise patients who were not admitted to hospital but who have been left with significant morbidity by establishing this new General Practitioner (GP) referral research clinic.