Table 1.
Details of participating sites.
| Site (jurisdiction) | Brief description |
|---|---|
| Site A (England) | GP-led clinic based in a large conurbation, linked to a teaching hospital. Large core MDT of allied professionals. Hybrid model (virtual or face-to-face). Close links to chronic fatigue service. Can refer on to hospital rehabilitation service. |
| Site B (Wales) | Hospital-based clinic run by a respiratory physician and clinical research fellow. No formal MDT support but close links with community recovery team. |
| Site C (England) | Entirely virtual community-based clinic jointly led by GP and OT and with large MDT of allied professionals. Complex patients are reviewed by the GP and referred on to secondary care specialties as needed. |
| Site D (Scotland) | Hospital and virtual clinic led by a clinical psychologist with a small MDT (infectious diseases consultant, OT, physiotherapist) The infectious diseases consultant also deals with post-treatment Lyme Disease in a separate clinic. Mostly virtual (video/phone) but can bring patients in for face-to-face or inpatient assessment if needed. |
| Site E (England) | Hospital clinic led by respiratory consultant with small MDT (psychologist, OT, physiotherapist). Primarily assessment service with referral for specialist input. Links with community-based rehabilitation service. |
| Site F (England) | Based in a community health service on the outskirts of a university city. Co-led by allied health professionals with large MDT including physiotherapy, OT, SLT, nursing, dietetics, psychology, GP and links to rehabilitation, respiratory and cardiology consultants and community mental health. Equally split between virtual, face-to-face in-clinic assessment and online group sessions, plus some home visits. Strong emphasis on rehabilitation and research. |
| Site G (England) | Hospital service based in the respiratory outpatient department in a tertiary hospital located on the outskirts of a university city. Originally a post-hospital follow-up clinic. Delivered by a large MDT with a weekly cross-specialty virtual meeting. |
| Site H (England) | Originally established as a respiratory follow-up clinic based in a large teaching hospital. Has evolved to become a comprehensive assessment clinic, amalgamated with CFS/ME service with referral pathways to other secondary care services. A nearby tertiary clinic is run by a cardiologist with a special interest in dysautonomia. |
| Site I (England) | Hospital service based in a rehabilitation department, co-located with various university research institutes, led jointly by a rehabilitation consultant and a respiratory consultant. Large MDT oriented mainly to rehabilitation. Strong research focus. |
| Site J (England) | Multi-tier service across a large urban area with significant socio-economic deprivation. Community clinic led by GP does in-person assessments; hospital-based clinic is led by a respiratory physician. Two MDTs meet on alternate weeks: tier 3 MDT discusses cases brought by the tier 2 team; tier 4 MDT (including multiple medical specialists) considers complex cases from across the region. |
OT, occupational therapist; SLT, speech and language therapy; ME/CFS, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.