ME and CFS
East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH) provides assessment, diagnosis, management, advice, education and support for people with ME and CFS in Norfolk and Waveney.
The team consists of GPs with specialist interest and knowledge of the conditions, and specialist occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
How can I access the service?
You can be referred into the service by your GP if you have had all of the following four symptoms for more than three months:
- Post exertional malaise – a significant worsening of symptoms following even a small amount of physical or mental activity
- Debilitating fatigue – an overwhelming feeling of tiredness that is not relieved by sleep or rest
- Sleep dysfunction – difficulty sleeping or sleep which does not leave you feeling refreshed
- Cognitive dysfunction – difficulty concentrating, memory problems and confusion
Other conditions will first be excluded by your GP or another health professional involved in your care. This means you will need to have some routine investigations – usually blood tests – before first coming into the service.
When the referral is received, ECCH will send you a pre-clinic questionnaire for completion. After you have completed and returned this questionnaire, you will be offered an initial appointment with either a GP specialising in ME and CFS or a specialist occupational therapist.
Treatment is primarily delivered via an online therapy group programme for adults and via one-to-one therapy appointments for children and young people.
Please visit the ECCH website for more information.
The Post-COVID Assessment Service in Norfolk and Waveney
The Post Covid Assessment Service is for people who live in Norfolk & Waveney.
You can be referred into the service by your GP if you have had symptoms of Long Covid for eight weeks or more after a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.
Investigations will need to be completed by your GP to rule out any other cause for these symptoms.
The most common symptoms of Long Covid include:
- feeling extremely tired (fatigue)
- shortness of breath
- joint pain and aching muscles
- problems with your memory and concentration, also called brain fog
Other symptoms can include:
- a high temperature
- a blocked or runny nose
- a cough
- a sore throat
- chest pain or tightness and noticeable heartbeats (heart palpitations)
- losing your hair and getting skin rashes, such as hives
- headaches, feeling dizzy and vertigo
- sudden confusion (delirium), especially in older people
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- changes to your senses, such as problems with your vision, earaches, hearing ringing sounds inside your ear (tinnitus), and differences in your sense of smell or taste
- tummy pain and diarrhoea
- feeling or being sick, losing weight and not feeling like eating
- pins and needles, and aches and pains in different parts of your body
- anxiety and depression
This specialist service supports people aged 18 and over who are diagnosed with, or suspected to have, Long Covid.
The service offers assessment, basic advice, and guidance on where to get further help. You can also be referred to other services if needed.
Please visit the Post-COVID assessment service website for more information on the service and how it can support you. The website also has links to additional resources and information to help manage your symptoms.