Fund could ease 'constant battle' of long Covid in Scotland
- Published
Long Covid had two dozen common symptoms including fatigue, a cough and breathlessness
A new £760,000 fund has been announced which could help ease the "constant battle" of long Covid.
The condition, which is estimated to affect one in 10 people who test positive, has more than two dozen common symptoms and can last months.
The money will be spent strengthening support services for patients, helping take some of the strain from GPs.
Patients and campaigners say it is an important step towards a comprehensive national support service.
The charity Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) will contribute £300,000 of the joint funding with the Scottish government providing the rest.
Funds will initially increase capacity in the charity's support services and, over the coming months, will lead to the creation of a national care system between the NHS, GPs and CHSS.
'It's too late for me'
For people like Pam Lawson, who has experienced Covid symptoms since April, the news is a welcome acknowledgement of the condition's severity.
"We've just seen a massive peak in coronavirus cases - 10% of those people could develop long Covid and there needs to be somewhere for them to go," she said.
"It's too late for me, I've been sick for 10 months now."
Pam Lawson has experienced a range of symptoms for 10 months
Pam initially experienced what she described as mild symptoms, but was eventually taken to hospital with blood clots in her lung.
She has also experienced problems with speech, breathlessness and fatigue and has been examined by various departments at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh - but has grown frustrated with the fragmented approach to her care.
"It just felt like a constant battle," she said. "There was no one place I could go to.
"It's a multi-organ disease. Yet I would get referred to respiratory for one thing, cardiology for my heart, neurology for the speech issues. Nobody was speaking to each other.
"It's only in the last few months that long Covid has been given an official name - post-Covid syndrome. Even now on my days where I'm not feeling great one my line managers said to me 'can you speak to someone?' - and I can't. All I can do is rest."
Discussions 'ongoing'
The funding announcement follows months of pressure on the Scottish government from various campaign groups, including CHSS's campaign to improve long Covid care.
Another campaign set up by patients has called for the introduction of specialist long Covid clinics, similar to those introduced in England - but in December the national clinical director said it was likely the condition would be managed primarily by GPs.
Guidance was published by three health bodies which listed more than two dozen common long-term symptoms of long Covid, saying they are often unpredictable and affect patients in different ways at different times.
It was published to help doctors diagnose and treat long Covid as there was no standard system of care.
In Scotland a BBC investigation found that only two health boards in Scotland were working on long-term strategies for long Covid to be in place by November.
CHSS said discussions were continuing with the Scottish government on other problems identified by patients including the need for better training for health professionals, access to tests and rehabilitation.
Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive of CHSS, said: "No one should be left to struggle with long Covid alone.
"This joint funding package with the Scottish government is a vital first step in providing better all-round care for people suffering the debilitating long-term effects of this devastating virus."
The charity has urged people experiencing long Covid to call its dedicated advice helpline., external
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