This March, Scotland’s Clinical Network for Long Term Effects of COVID-19 comes to an end. Achievements include clearer referral guidelines, shared best practice, and, importantly, recurring funding secured for clinics.

Delighted to be talking about NHS Highland's new service for patients with ME/CFS, Long COVID, and similar conditions tomorrow on BBC Radio Scotland with Cameron Angus-MacKay www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... @longcovidscot.bsky.social @actionforme.bsky.social @meassociation.org.uk

Finally saw the aurora! #culloden

Went to a beautiful place tonight to say goodbye to the sun, ahead of almost 18 hours of darkness. At Clava Cairns, the midwinter alignment reminds us that the #reasonfortheseason has been known for >4000 years: our shared relationship with the sun. @HumanismScotland

Daily stress and worry are additional triggers of symptom fluctuations in individuals living with Long COVID. Key Findings on Stress and Symptom Severity: The study highlights the relationship between daily stress, worry, and symptom severity in Long COVID patients.

🔬 Reflecting on WHO's Open Scientific Consultation on Rift Valley Fever @WHO, @AfricaCDC, @CEPI, @UKHSA_Official & partners. Like SARS-CoV-2, RVF can cause long-term impacts - meningoencephalitis, liver damage, vision loss & chronic fatigue.

💙 PoTS Awareness Day: Findings from the LOCOMOTION Study On this awareness day, I wanted to reflect on key findings from our research across 10 UK Long COVID clinics about PoTS screening:

From a Dyslexic Doctor's Perspective: "I am sitting at my desk with all the tricks of the trade to deal with what is at least partly a working memory issue. It strikes me how similar this is to the cognitive challenges my Long-COVID patients describe."

Great to hear Prof Jon Stone, FND specialist from @EdinburghUni, speak today at NHS Highland FND Study Day.

Got a last minute place on the @nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk FND Study day - Functional Neurological Disorder. Really interested learn about this common issue

Delighted to see £4.5mil announced for LongCOVID, ME/CFS & similar conditions for #NHSScotland. A great step forward for managing these chronic conditions. @longcovidscot.bsky.social @longcovidkids.bsky.social @meresearchuk.bsky.social @nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk Link: www.gov.scot/news/funding...

New paper in @age-and-ageing.bsky.social - New horizons in improving research capacity in English care homes for older adults: academic.oup.com/ageing/artic...

This weekend, my own wee Nessie, will be taking part in the 800m run at Bught Park @Inverness. Come and join in the fun if you're around 😁https://www.lochnessmarathon.com/event/wee-nessie-4/ #WeeNessie #Baxters #LochNessMarathon #RunForCharity #Scotland @blueellieadventure.bsky.social

Awww a family of swans on my Dementia UK 1 mile walk today.

Important paper by members of the European Academy of Neurology. "Healthcare systems should be aware of, and be prepared for a potential increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in the upcoming years." What has been the state of surveillance and awareness so far? #NeuroCovid

In this paper by Ruoyun Xiong et al., in Nature Medicine, instead of hunting for single causes, using AI could help us think about these complex conditions as network diseases—where the problem may not be one broken component but disrupted communication between systems.

New role: I'm stepping in as Clinical Lead for Scotland's Long COVID Network! We're now focused on making these services sustainable while expanding to address post-infection conditions more broadly. Grateful to patient groups and colleagues whose insights drive this work forward.

💭 Note to self: build up activity gradually... Turns out there's a difference between suggesting increasing gentle activity and actually doing them after months of desk-bound life!

I once again find myself working from the Hillhead_Cafe in Tornagrain. Infact Tornagrain’s only cafe. Fortunately its lovely has wifi & great cakes. A96 closed and the ‘top road’ via Croy also choka. Fortunately no patient facing work today. #Highlandlife @nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk

🔬 Long COVID costs £8.1 billion annually - comparable to stroke at £9.4 billion New LOCOMOTION consortium study published in European Journal of Health Economics analyzed 1,603 Long COVID patients across 10 specialist clinics in England & Scotland.

Serene summer sky as I boarded the London flight in #Inverness. Views of the city and the Black Isle as we took of at 10pm. Finally made it to Covent Garden. Thank you Travellodge for serving food until 4am!!!

Excited to be off to #RSMLondon, tomorrow for 'The invisible impact of COVID-19 on hypermobility syndromes and neurodivergence - bodies, brains and burnout'. @longcovidsupport.bsky.social @longcovidkids.bsky.social #LongCOVID #Hypermobility #Neurodivergence www.rsm.ac.uk/events/rheum...

Huge News Coartem® Baby—1st malaria drug approved for newborns <5 kg It's a cherry-flavored mix of artemether (rapid parasite clearance) & lumefantrine (long-acting, prevents recrudescence)—dissolves in breast milk and optimized PK/PD for infant metabolism Not-for-profit launch planned in Africa

🌼 A huge congratulations to Maureen from Woodend Hospital on her #DAISYAward nomination! Pictured here with her fantastic team, Maureen has been recognised for her compassion, dedication, and the outstanding care she provides every day. #DAISYNurses #DAISYMidwives #NHSGDAISY #ProudToBeNHSG

**Holiday experiments! 🌊🚴‍♀️** While on annual leave, I decided to test some lifestyle strategies my colleagues in physio and occupational health often suggest for #LongCovid patients:

Traveling down to Oxford for the GEM25 (Graduate Entry Medicine) Reunion on Saturday at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. Looking forward to seeing old friends. #COVID19 #GlobalHealth #LongCovid #GEM25 #Reunion #Oxford

Happy solstice and #worldhumanistday. From a warm evening on Nairn beach

Thoughtful talk from Dr Joanne Cecil conversations around obesity with solid evidence base - but no mention of Wegovy/Ozempic! Not yet available in @NHSHighlands outwith diabetes, but perhaps they should be. #obesityresearch @Longcovidscotland Summer highland honey production

Great to be in UHI House in Inverness today for the @NHSHighlands R&D Conference 2025. Good to catch up with NHS colleagues working in research across the Highlands. 📅 12 June | 09:00-16:15 🏢 UHI House, Inverness #NHSHighland #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalResearch #ScottishHealthcare #RDI2025**

Child vaccinations for deadly diseases slump to ten-year low www.thetimes.com/article/ba54...

Happy Pride from inside Raigmore Hospital 🌈 Hoping all the celebrations go well today in Inverness. #PrideMonth #HighlandPride

LONG COVID Q&A I've been sent some interesting questions as a result of my talk at the @NHS_Scotland Long COVID Research Symposium on February 11th, 2025. Sharing my responses over the next few tweets. #LongCOVID #MedicalResearch #NHSScotland

Peer Support is one of the most important aspects of coming to terms with Long Covid. Since 2022, they've created a safe space offering not just emotional support but physical activity and art classes for those with #LongCOVID.

Today at the NSS Long COVID Network meeting, I was particularly interested by the presentation on the Forth Valley "Long COVID Cuppa" support group operating in my hometown of Falkirk since 2022.

Productive day of grant writing in the "Aberdeen Uni" office in Inverness. Looking forward to heading out into the Highland air after a day of proposal crafting. Below snaps from my evening walk through the Golden Broom in Culloden. #COVID19 #GlobalHealth #NHS #LongCovid #AberdeenUni

Clocking off for the day to find the coastguard are here @nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk

Doing a bit of dreaming today with @longCOVIDScot of a healthcare future where post-infection syndromes receive the comprehensive, integrated care they truly deserve. Long COVID, ME/CFS, post-viral fatigue - different names, shared struggles. One holistic solution needed 💙 Can we build this future?

This is a really great team working to include nursing home residents in clinical trials. Often the most at risk group and the least likely to have access to trials.

Thoughtful discussions today at our #LongCOVID Data & Intelligence meeting. Encouraged by the collaborative approach to developing comprehensive service evaluation frameworks that center patient experiences. The commitment to evidence-based care is inspiring.

Continuing the discussion on Long COVID education with WHO/OECD team. Post-viral syndromes need care grounded in science — and adapted to real-world systems. Image: looking across the Beauly Firth from North Kessock toward Inverness— because it’s beautiful.

At #WHA78, WHO Director-General @drtedros.who.int has given the 2025 DG's Award for Global Health to: 🏅 Professor Sir Brian Greenwood 🏅 Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck in recognition of their lifetime achievements in global health, specifically in malaria elimination & beyond 👉 bit.ly/43lYP3B

The estimated shortage of health workers has decreased from 15.4 million in 2020 to 14.7 million in 2023. This progress is a testament to the collective efforts in strengthening healthcare systems worldwide. Read more such positive trends: bit.ly/437wz4w

The Long Term Conditions Framework Consultation is now live and available at – consult.gov.scot/healthcare-q... Gather the views of a wide range of individuals and organisations on what matters when it comes to prevention, care, support and equalities in long term conditions. #LongCovid

The new WHO team healthpolicy-watch.news/who-director...

Excited to join the team @WHO to develop Long COVID training for healthcare professionals. This will entail methods on how to improve the detection, diagnosis and the appropriate referral and management of patients living with Long COVID in the EU. Watch this space 😉

⚠️ Nearly 19–72% of COVID-19 deaths occurred in care home residents. Yet their inclusion in clinical trials was minimal or non-existent. That must change. #inclusionmatters #inclusion #carehomes #vaccinetrials #watchproject #publichealth

Panel discussion @uofglasgow.bsky.social at the UK Pandemic Sciences Network on how to advance pandemic science. Topic 1 -waste water - can be challenging to validate but another source of intelligence @cvrinfo.bsky.social

Feeling a bit nostalgic being back home in Glasgow for the UK Pandemic Sciences Network conference 2025 hosted by @cvrinfo.bsky.social www.thepandemicinstitute.org/collaborate/...

Study of 297,920 children and adolescents with SARS-CoV-2 infection. “We found that those infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibited increased risks for a range of post-acute cardiovascular outcomes” www.nature.com/articles/s41... #LongCovdidKids #PaediatricLongCovid #HeartHealth

Interesting analysis about the withdrawal of USAID money @edinburghup.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...