Long Covid: Patient racks up £300 bill since clinic closes

Paul du Four had been relying on a now closed Long Covid clinic since it opened in 2022

A man in Jersey said his medical bills have reached more than £300 following the closure of the island's Long Covid clinic.

Paul du Four said the condition left him housebound for almost four years, and is causing his body to "waste away".

Jersey Hospital launched the service in 2022, but since its closure patients have been referred to their GP.

The health department said the decision was taken due to a fall in demand.

However, the 64-year-old said "the hospital has been marvellous" and without the clinic's help he "wouldn't be alive".

'Return to normality'

The former lorry driver receives financial support from the government, but said his money goes toward treatment and food.

Jersey Hospital launched the service in 2022, but since its closure patients have been referred to their GP

He told BBC Radio Jersey he hoped a cure would be available to return him to "some sort of normality".

Dr Matt Doyle, clinical lead for Long Covid, said they have "seen numbers decrease in such a significant level".

"When we started two years ago we were getting around 30 referrals a week from our GP and hospital colleagues.

He continued: "By the time we got to the summer of last year we'd seen that number drop to five a month."

On what was happening to the patients still using the service, Dr Doyle said: "We've seen all our patients in the clinic and where possible put in management plans which we've handed back to the GP.

He added: "An awful lot of patients have fortunately improved and we've been able to discharge them from the clinic before it closed."