‘Abandoned’ survivors urge expansion of rehab support
THOUSANDS of coronavirus survivors claim they are unable to access NHS rehabilitation services because they have no proof they contracted Covid-19, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
Patients suffering debilitating symptoms over many months say their GPs are reluctant to test their blood for signs of previous infection or refer them to specialists, dismissing their concerns as “anxiety and mass hysteria”. They are also concerned that antibody tests, which are not yet widely available through the NHS, will come back negative.
The Post-Covid Syndrome Support Group, which has more than 3,000 members, is petitioning for Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, to set up rehabilitation clinics for those experiencing long-term effects of the virus but who have no evidence they contracted Covid-19. They want people who believe they have had the virus to be able to refer themselves for assessment without the need for a GP referral or positive antibody test.
Symptoms reported by the group include significant hair loss, incontinence, rashes, breast lactation in both men and women, slurred speech, and disruption to menstrual cycles. Louise Barnes, 46, who founded the group, told The Telegraph that many members felt let down by the NHS.
“We are feeling abandoned and helpless – we are fast becoming the forgotten victims of Covid-19,” she said.
Ms Barnes said many sufferers were keen to make use of the “Your Covid Recovery” service, launched by the NHS last month to expand access to rehabilitation treatments to those who had survived the virus but still had problems with breathing, mental health or other complications.
However, while advice is free for all users, personalised care packages are only available to those who have a referral – either from the hospital they were treated at or their GP. “Many of us still are showing profound and debilitating effects of the virus months after being infected,” Ms Barnes wrote in her petition. “We are not recovered – we are very sick and are needing help and support right now.”
An NHS spokesman said: “The NHS has introduced nationally a new online rehab service, with advice for everyone and personalised care plans to be available either through a GP or hospital referral, while local teams are expanding community rehab services to meet the needs of their local communities, including through Seacolestyle centres.”