Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland says those suffering long-term effects of Covid-19 can't afford to wait any longer
A charity has called for urgent action to help those battling long covid.
Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland has said sufferers of the condition cannot wait until further research has been carried out to receive support.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed this week, in response to an FMQ from Donald Cameron MSP, that the Scottish Government would initially focus its efforts on investing in research on long covid in order to better understand it. However the charity has said it’s concerned that it could be many months before the projects are concluded, leaving sufferers – many of whom have already suffered for months - without the support they need.
Last week, the charity’s calls for a National Long Covid Support Service in Scotland were backed by key representatives of NHS staff including RCN Scotland, The Queen’s Nursing Institute Royal College of Occupational Therapists in Scotland and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in Scotland.
Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, said: “People are desperate for coordinated help and today’s response will be a big disappointment. The First Minister’s “wait and see” approach will see thousands of people in Scotland miss out on coordinated support when they need it most.
“Every day people with long covid in Scotland are facing an exhausting battle to get the support they desperately need. It’s not right and we need to see action to improve services.
“Scotland is falling behind England in long covid care. In England, they have announced support for research alongside measures to improve care. We should take that twin track approach in Scotland too.
“We need to see action from the Scottish Government to establish a national service which would bring the NHS and charities together to provide specialised support and care for people with long covid . We’re calling for people to join our Long Covid Care Now campaign to convince the Scottish Government to act.
“People’s lives have been turned upside down. They are struggling to breathe, they’re anxious and they have chronic fatigue which makes the smallest of tasks extremely difficult. They want their lives back.”
The First Minister said: “We have already met Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and are considering its proposal about support for people with ongoing covid symptoms. The National Health Service is delivering care that is tailored to the individual needs of people who are experiencing long covid across a range of specialisms. Of course, that is a developing area of clinical understanding and we need that greater understanding to drive our response in the future.
“We are taking action to understand the longer-term effects of covid. That includes investing in research and supporting the Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network—SIGN—and United Kingdom partners to develop a rapid clinical guideline, which is intended to be published before the end of this year. The guideline work and the deepening of our understanding of the impact of on-going symptoms are required in order to configure our response and to help the NHS to tailor the holistic diagnosis and treatment that people need.”
