#LongCovidAHPs

Recent data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates there are 1.3 million people living with Long COVID in the UK, with greater prevalence among those working in health and social care.

Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) work across health and social care and are the third largest workforce in the NHS, and like many other healthcare professions, many AHPs may now be living with Long COVID.

However, it is hard to estimate the number of AHPs living with Long COVID in the UK, because Long COVID continues to go largely uncounted. For 2 years, people living with Long COVID have called for government agencies and professional bodies to better #CountLongCOVID.

The stories of people living with and affected by Long COVID continues to be an important part of better understanding lived experiences, in the absence of better data on the numbers of people affected.

We do not yet understand the effect of Long COVID on AHPs. In my role as Long COVID Physio AHP Co-Director, I want to better understand and represent your experiences, views, concerns, and successes.

If you are an AHP living with Long COVID, this blog space can be a place for you to share your stories. The comments sections is open for you to share the information you want others to know from your lived experience as an AHP with Long COVID.

Our aim is to enable your stories to form a central line of communication with the professional bodies that represent AHPs both in the UK and internationally.

If you would like to access peer support for AHPs living with Long COVID, you are welcome to join our peer support group (please remember to answer the group entry questions). I am an Occupational Therapist living with Long COVID, and I could not have got through the last 2 years without the peer support from Long COVID Physio. We hope you will feel welcome.