Meet the team

The Leeds Long Covid Community Rehabilitation Service is a partnership between Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust and The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. 

The service has been developed to help people in Leeds who are experiencing new, long lasting problems 12 weeks or more after a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection which are significantly impacting how they are able to function in day-to-day life.

Our Multi-Disciplinary team consists of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Dieticians and Rehabilitation Assistants, to provide rehabilitation for people in a clinic or home setting, using face to face and virtual consultations. The team are supported by consultants from The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust with specialities in rehabilitation medicine, cardiology, and respiratory medicine.

In 2021, the Leeds Long Covid Rehab team were won a joint award together with The University of Leeds and ELAROS in Medipex’s NHS Innovation Awards in the Management of Long Term Conditions category for their work in forming the UK’s first long Covid rehabilitation clinic, setting a benchmark for the UK to follow.

Additionally, the Leeds Long Covid Rehab team won the BMJ Clinical Team Leadership of the year award in 2021 for the formation of the UK’s first long Covid clinic and their follow on work in developing the C19-YRS digital platform.

Rachel Tarrant BSc

Bio

Rachel Tarrant BSc

Rachel Tarrant BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, PG Dip Advancing Respiratory Physiotherapy.

Rachel is a Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and is one the Clinical Leads and Clinical Co-ordinators for the Long COVID Community Rehabilitation service at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust.

Rachel has over 17 years’ experience since qualifying as a Physiotherapist. She has special interests in Long Covid rehabilitation, long term condition management, respiratory physiotherapy and rehabilitation. She is passionate about quality improvement and evaluation to drive services forward, improving patient care.

Jenny Davison BSc

Bio

Jenny Davison BSc

Jenny Davison BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, MSc Professional Health and Social Care.

Jenny is a Community Physiotherapist, Clinical Lead and Clinical Co-ordinator for the Long COVID Community Rehabilitation service at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust.

Jenny has over 15 years’ experience since qualifying as a Physiotherapist in 2006 in the UK. She has worked in the UK and Australia, both in the NHS and private practice. She has special interests in Long Covid rehabilitation, long term conditional management and Health Coaching. She is passionate about delivering evidenced based intervention and the prevention of health inequalities.

Dr Denise Ross MCSP, PhD

Bio

Dr Denise Ross MCSP, PhD

Dr Denise Ross is a clinical academic specialist physiotherapist within the field of complex and neurological rehabilitation. She works at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and leads R&I for the Physiotherapy Services.

Denise has been instrumental in the development of the COVID rehabilitation pathway in Leeds and works within the Leeds COVID rehabilitation research team.

Denise’s PhD used mixed methods for the conceptualisation, development and testing of a clinically focused outcome measure. She represents the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the co-production of the publication: Key questions to ask when selecting outcome measures: a checklist for Allied Health Professionals.

R&I lead for Physiotherapy
Clinical specialist physiotherapist complex rehabilitation
Independent and supplementary prescriber
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Jenna Shardha BSc

Bio

Jenna Shardha BSc

Jenna Shardha BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy

Jenna is a specialist Occupational Therapist working in the Leeds Long COVID Community Rehabilitation service at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust.

Jenna has over 10 years’ experience since qualifying as an Occupational Therapist in 2010. She has worked in a variety of clinical areas since qualifying including both mental and physical health settings, community and acute. She is passionate about service development and strives to deliver evidence based, high quality care to her patients.

Active member on the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Long COVID networks.

Fiona Cicognini BSc

Bio

Fiona Cicognini BSc

Fiona Cicognini BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy

Fiona is a specialist ENT Speech and Language Therapist and specialist Respiratory SLT working in Leeds Teaching Hospitals within ENT and Leeds Chest Clinic.

Fiona has over 11years experience since qualifying as a Speech and Language Therapist.

She has a special interest in managing upper airway disorders including voice, swallowing, unexplained breathlessness and chronic cough.

She is passionate about delivering evidence based intervention and improving patient care.

Hannah Diskin BSc, RD

Bio

Hannah Diskin BSc, RD

Hannah Diskin BSc (Hons) Biosciences and Health, PG Dip Dietetics

Hannah is a Community Dietitian and Clinical Lead for Dietetics in the Long COVID Community Rehabilitation service at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust.

Hannah qualified as a Dietitian in 2004 in Leeds. She has worked in large teaching hospitals and in the community in a variety of specialties including oncology, nutrition support and gastroenterology.

She has special interests in Long Covid rehabilitation, smell training and gut health.  She is passionate about promoting the link between nutrition and recovery from Long COVID and empowering people to make positive long term dietary changes.

Sophie France BSc

Bio

Sophie France BSc

Sophie France BSc (Hons) MSc Occupational Therapy

Sophie is the Neurological Specialist work for Leeds Long Covid Community Rehabilitation Service. 

Sophie qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2013 – since then she has focused her career on the rehabilitation of those with neurological conditions. Her background in neurological rehabilitation allows her to bring these skills to team. She has a particular interest in cognitive rehabilitation and vocational rehabilitation.