LONG COVID HELL
Half of Brits forced to wait 2 months for assessment
HALF of Brits with debilitating long Covid are waiting more than two months for a check-up.
NHS England data also reveals 30% of sufferers face delays of more than 15 weeks for an initial assessment.
Around 90 long Covid clinics have been set up since 2020 but the Royal College of Nursing said services are “woefully inadequate” and Brits face a postcode lottery for treatment.
It claims diagnosis and care vary hugely, with long Covid treated as a physical illness in some units but as a mental one in others.
Jo Stucke, a mental health nurse who works in a clinic in Yorkshire, said: “Some of our patients have really complex physical health problems and their lives have been transformed after Covid.
“They may be unable to work, socialise and do things they previously enjoyed, contributing to depression.”
Latest Office for National Statistics polling showed two million Brits have long Covid but the RCN says the real figure is higher.
NHS England data for March to April shows around 4,400 are getting a check-up each month, suggesting many have given up on NHS care.
Women are more likely to get the illness, as are staff in healthcare, social care and education. Fatigue is the main symptom followed by shortness of breath, pain and brain fog.
Kelly, from Northern Ireland, who did not want to give her surname and got the virus in 2020, said: “It still shocks me I feel so exhausted now.”
In April, the Institute for Public Policy Research found symptoms have driven 400,000 people out of work. At yesterday’s RCN congress in Glasgow, public health lead Helen Donovan said: “Ministers must significantly increase investment in long Covid research and support to ensure there are enough services and they are consistent across the UK.”
NHS England said sufferers should contact their GP or visit the NHS Your Covid Recovery website.