Post-Covid patients are ‘abandoned’ by GPs
Hundreds of people still suffering long-term symptoms say they feel ‘helpless and ignored’
CORONAVIRUS patients suffering the long-term effects of the disease feel “abandoned” by GPs because they were never tested and have no proof of infection, it has emerged.
Increasing numbers are voicing concern that despite experiencing debilitating symptoms, they have been left to “fend for themselves.”
They include large swathes who fell ill at the height of the pandemic, when testing was limited, who say that they are now struggling to be taken seriously by medics and are unable to access clinical support due to a lack of awareness about the virus.
Many said their GPs had been reluctant to refer them for tests or scans. They told The Sunday Telegraph they had been “fobbed off ” with claims they were suffering with anxiety or even hay fever.
One who spoke to this newspaper said she felt the Government was only interested in statistics on new infection rates and deaths, rather than those still suffering many weeks later.
It comes as the NHS announces a new, on-demand recovery service that will enable nurses, physiotherapists and mental health specialists to directly respond to patients’ needs.
The “Your Covid Recovery” service, available later this summer, is aimed at those suffering longer term complications. As part of the new recovery service, patients will be offered a face-to-face consultation with a local rehabilitation team who will then design a personalised online support package lasting up to 12 weeks.
Research suggests that one in three patients who recover from coronavirus could be harmed for life, with longterm damage to the lungs, as well as chronic fatigue and psychological disturbances. Around 30 per cent may be left with damaged and scarred lung tissue, if it follows patterns of similar diseases, according to NHS guidance seen by The Telegraph.
A separate survey undertaken by one of the many post-Covid support groups that are emerging online, which between them have thousands of members, reveals that around 20 per cent are still experiencing symptoms 15 weeks later. Almost 85 per cent of more than 600 who have responded said they felt GPs needed to be made aware of long-term symptoms while the majority said they felt they needed close monitoring and rehabilitation support.
Almost 40 per cent said they felt they had “very little support” while one in three felt “helpless and ignored”. Around a quarter said they were bewildered they were not getting more help.
The most common reported symptoms are headaches, chest tightness and breathing problems, a rapid heartbeat, trembling and dizziness.
Deborah Foley, 50, from south London, first developed Covid symptoms in mid-March and is still suffering most days, despite doctors being unable to pinpoint any specific problem.
“No one takes my symptoms seriously except the thousands now in Facebook support groups,” she said. Elena Goodsell, 37, who fell ill in March, said her GP had said that all he could do was prescribe pain relief and rest and offered her anxiety medication. “I am definitely not suffering from anxiety,” she said. “I feel like I am being made to be a hypochondriac. I do not feel supported by my GP and am being left to suffer.”
Dr Jonathan Leach, honorary secretary of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Patients should be reassured that GPs and their teams are working hard, utilising the most up-to-date clinical guidance, to deliver the most appropriate care and support they can, and that their concerns will be taken seriously.”