Essex mobile clinic offers long Covid test on lungs

The test can be carried out anywhere the van is parked

A test for long Covid and other lung conditions is being carried out in a Transit van to ensure it is taken up by at-risk patients.

Spirometry assesses lung capacity and can help diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as the lasting effects of coronavirus.

The Transit van, fitted out with key equipment, will visit patients who cannot get to an NHS Essex clinic.

Dr Sharon Headley said: "We need to get out and find those most at risk."

Dr Sharon Hadley (right) said there had been a decline in the diagnosis of lung conditions

The test involves patients breathing forcefully into the device, which measures their lung capacity.

"Many people are reporting ongoing breathing difficulties," added Dr Headley, the clinical lead at Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership.

"With a decline in spirometry testing during the pandemic, the diagnosis of conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is estimated to have fallen by half in the past year, tens of thousands of people across the country could be living with the serious condition without knowing.

"In the same way that Covid posed a greater threat to certain communities, we need to get out and find those most at risk and make sure people have the knowledge, care and treatment they need to avoid serious life-limiting illness."