Campaigners call for more consistent Long Covid treatment

There are calls amongst campaigners for more to be done to ensure help is offered at a consistent level to Long Covid sufferers.

A cross-party group of MPs have said that getting access to specialist clinics can depend on the area that you live in.

NHS England has said that £34 million has been invested in 80 Long covid clinics across the country.

However, campaigners feel that the lasting effects of the virus aren't highlighted enough.

Ondine Sherwood, from Long Covid SOS, said: "We feel that the government has paid lip service to long covid but it is rarely mentioned in public messaging.

"It is not emphasised enough to educate the public, to avoid infection."

Long Covid can see people suffer from fatigue and breathlessness up to a year after contracting Covid-19.

Jordan Dove from Scarborough has been suffering from bad fatigue, breathlessness and memory loss since contracting Covid more than a year ago - she is still waiting for help in her area.

"I really don't think that the GP's in my area have been very helpful with that," she said.

"I think there has been a lot of backlash and a lot of misdiagnoses myself was told it was anxiety for a really long time which I just know wasn't the case."

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "Since the end of March 2021 we have remotely assessing post-Covid syndrome patients to determine the most appropriate onward services and support."

Sofia Cann, from Halifax, was reluctant to seek help at first, but eventually went to a covid clinic.

She said: "Talk about it and if you get the chance to go to a long covid clinic.

There was a part of that was think I won't go I am wasting everyone's time and they can't do anything but mentally having that conversation it felt like I was recharged and maybe that gave me a boost. I would just say talk about it."