"The light bulb moment I was searching for"

I was broken, lost, and had no hope or vision of my future in the workplace. Previous to this I had a 30-year career in the NHS.

I contracted covid and spent 6 month off work, I returned to work for 8 months but found each day a massive challenge due to fatigue, severe pain, brain fog. These symptoms also generated loss of confidence, severe anxiety and at times depression of how I could continue. I felt I was shutting down, I had to stop!

Following a further 14 months off, I thought I would never recover, let alone return to the workplace. Thankfully, my GP referred me to our Trust's covid Post Covid-19 Syndrome Vocational Rehabilitation Programme, and following months of support and hard work I found the strength to keep moving forward, at the same time I received a referral to the CMP team.

Their empathy, encouragement and continued support from my initial introduction interview to my final session was the light bulb moment I was searching for, of finding that belief in myself that there was hope of a positive return to work. Without this help I don’t think I would have been able to achieve my current situation of being back at work, enjoying life again and making plans for my future career.

I was offered face-to-face or telephone sessions which worked so well. I would recommend the CMP service to anyone who has found themselves out of the workplace, especially following a medical crisis. It has been invaluable. It would have been the easy option not to return, but CMP gave me the tools, techniques, and continued support in the early stages of my return to work and support to keep going.

Please invest in the fantastic service! To service users, please don’t hesitate in accessing the help of CMP.