DOCTORS at the Royal Berkshire Hospital have teamed up with the English National Opera (ENO) to help patients suffering from symptoms of long covid.
The musical and medical venture has singers and therapists from ENO running online coaching sessions with patients at the hospital’s long covid clinic.
The holistic online programme teaches self-management tools for patients experiencing breathlessness and associated anxiety.
In the weekly group sessions, patients are given the tools and techniques used by singers to help them focus constructively on their breathing. Patients are taught to retrain their breathing through singing.
Lullabies are used as the musical starting point as their purpose is to calm.
Last year, 90% of those involved in the six-week pilot reported definite improvements in symptoms and wellbeing.
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Participants also said it reduced how isolated they felt.
Now the programme is being rolled out to 1,000 patients across the country.
At the Royal Berkshire Hospital, it’s being led by Dr Deepak Ravindran, lead clinician for Berkshire Long Covid Integrated Service.
He oversaw the creation of the long covid clinic, one of the first in the country to establish such a venture.
“The success of the ENO pilot last year is showing good results and proving that breathing through singing can help those suffering with breathlessness,” he said.
“The programme provides vital physical and emotional support to those experiencing the effects of long covid and it’s great to see the ENO working with the NHS on such creative measures to help people with this illness.”
