Sarah Woolnough
CEO, Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation
In November 2020, NHS England announced new clinics dedicated to helping people living with the long-term impacts of COVID-19. One year later, people are still battling long COVID alone as they struggle to get the support and care they so desperately need.
Long COVID is new and unpredictable. There is still a lot that we do not understand about it. But what we do know is that life is not the same for the one million people living with the condition. People using the British Lung Foundation’s support services tell us they are battling multiple, often disabling, symptoms, most commonly breathlessness, which in some cases have totally turned their life upside down. One person living with long COVID told us they are now too breathless and weary to do everyday tasks like cleaning and the weekly shop. Another said they are grieving the life they lost and see no hope of returning to it.
One person living with long COVID told us they are now too breathless and weary to do everyday tasks like cleaning and the weekly shop.
Challenges accessing support
The introduction of long COVID clinics in November 2020 offered a beacon of hope. NHS England announced that patients would be able to get specialist help at 60 sites across the country. But one year on, although the number of clinics has increased, people are still struggling to access the support they so desperately need.
Our analysis shows many people with long COVID, especially those who managed the acute phase of COVID-19 at home, feel like the forgotten patients of the pandemic. People told us that they feel deserted and abandoned, with their doctors dismissing their symptoms as anxiety or stress.
Delays in treatment and support
When referrals are made into these dedicated clinics, over a third of people are waiting more than 15 weeks for their initial specialist appointment. It simply cannot be right that so many seriously unwell people are left to languish on long waiting lists like this or are not referred to specialist services at all. People deserve rapid access to support services, and NHS England needs to support clinicians to either refer patients into existing pathways or guide them to self-manage if clinically appropriate.
If you have long COVID and want support and advice, you can visit blf.org.uk/long-covid
