‘Scotland must do more for long Covid sufferers’

A West Lothian man who suffers from the effects of long Covid has spoken of his struggle to make ends meet due to being unable to work because of the condition.

Former electrical wholesaler and gardener Crawford Flint, 59, lives in Linlithgow, West Lothian, with his wife, Karen.

He has been living with the symptoms of long Covid since contracting Covid-19 in March 2020 and now cannot work.

Like being sent from pillar to post – that’s how Crawford Flint describes his experience of being treated for Long Covid.

The 59-year-old has undergone a battery of tests, including several X-rays, ECGs and CT scans, all of which show him to be healthy. But he’s not healthy. He cannot work and he now relies on a mobility scooter to get about.

For Crawford, the lack of treatment for people like him is as big a problem as living with the condition itself. He says any improvements in his health are down to his own efforts and down to the backing he has found with fellow sufferers in groups such as the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) Long Covid Support Group.

Crawford said: “The CHSS support group has been great. You’ve got folks from Shetland to Dumfries, and what’s noticeable is that you see the difference in the quality of care between different health boards and even different towns.

“It’s a lottery and it shouldn’t be. We’ve got 14 health boards and 14 different versions of long Covid.

"GPs are often sending patients on a wild goose chase as there is so little understanding of this illness, but I was one of the fortunate ones because my own GP was very sympathetic and did everything possible to help me within the guidelines.

“There should be one person in charge for the whole of Scotland and everyone else feeds from that.

"There’s no treatment for long Covid, but there’s also not enough information at all about the condition.”

“GPs are often sending patients on a wild goose chase as there is so little understanding of this illness