High risk Covid patients - new faster access to treatment by self referral
Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) have launched a new self-referral form that allows people in Coventry and Warwickshire who are in the highest risk group to access treatment without having to wait to speak to a medical professional should they receive a positive test.
Eligibility
Patients who are considered to be at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19 should have already received a letter from NHS England, but more information on who is eligible for treatments can be found on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) website .
Additionally, the following groups of patients will be eligible for treatment:
- people aged 85 years and over
- people with end-stage heart failure who have a long-term ventricular assistance device
- people on the organ transplant waiting list
- people aged 70 years and over, or who have a BMI of 35 kg/m2 or more, diabetes or heart failure, and:
- are a resident in a care home, or
- are already hospitalised.
Referral from
If eligible patients test positive for Covid, they should refer themselves into the Respiratory@Home service, who are responsible for the community based Covid Medicines Delivery Unit (CMDU).
The new self-referral form makes it even easier for those most vulnerable to access COVID-19 treatments and I urge eligible patients to use the service for timely assessment for treatment
