Funding call over help for those with lung damage

Campaigners say health boards must have means to roll-out support programmes

Coronavirus survivors in Tayside must get the help they need to fully recover, campaigners have said.

It is feared hundreds of those who have been seriously ill with the disease will need support packages similar to those offered to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Demand for such support was already rising before the pandemic, and campaigners have raised concerns about staffing required to support the number of patients expected to need help to manage serious lung conditions.

The head of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland has called for NHS Tayside to open discussions about introducing a support package currently only available to patients in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Prior to the pandemic, the number of people who have COPD in the area had risen 18% since 2011-12, to 11,517.

Campaigner Ian Baxter, 71, said the Scottish Government must ensure all health boards are properly funded to roll out support programmes.

Mr Baxter, from Forfar, said his own condition – not related to Covid-19 – felt like “having to breathe through a straw”.

He said the programme he attended – led by a physiotherapist and respiratory nurse – changed his life.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland chief executive Jane-claire Judson, called for discussions with NHS Tayside on introducing its discharge and community support model “Hospital to Home” to the area.

North East region MSP Bill Bowman, Conservative, said NHS Tayside must start planning for rehabilitation support for people who had severe Covid-19.

NHS Tayside respiratory consultant James Chalmers said: “It is too early to know to what extent Covid-19 infection will lead to an increase in chronic lung disease but we agree this is an important issue to address.

“This is the reason why NHS Tayside and the University of Dundee has initiated what will become a Scotlandwide project to follow-up patients with Covid-19 to identify the effects on lung function and symptoms.

“Dr David Connell, respiratory consultant at Ninewells Hospital, in his role as chairman of the British Thoracic Society Speciality Advisory group on respiratory infections, is involved in planning a national pathway for follow-up care for covid patients, and follow-up including the appropriate X-rays and tests is already happening in Tayside for early detection and treatment of any complications.”

The Scottish Government did not respond to a request for comment before going to press.

Picture: Kris Miller. Ian Baxter said that coronavirus survivors with lung damage will need help to manage their conditions.