Report: Need for more Long Covid awareness and support
The numbers of people ill with Covid are much lower than they were. But Long Covid remains an issue for many people.
In December, official figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that people with Long Covid are more likely to have stopped working, especially if they are over 50. Other research suggests that the condition affects around 2.8 percent of the population – more than 1 in 40 people, about 6,000 of them living in Sutton.
Healthwatch conducted a survey from September 2021 to March 2022. We spoke to 79 local people, NHS staff and members of a patients’ self-help group. We’ve now published a report which highlights the ongoing impact of Long Covid on people in Sutton.
What we found
- Over a third of those who had symptoms for over a year still hadn’t been given a diagnosis.
- Older respondents were less likely to have been diagnosed with Covid-19 when they were originally ill, less likely to have been given a diagnosis of Long Covid and less likely to have accessed treatment.
- Long Covid is having a very significant impact on people’s ability to work, on their finances, relationships, social lives, and mental health.
- Many people had found it difficult to access support
- The majority of people who accessed treatment found it beneficial. Although problems often persisted, they found treatment helped to manage their symptoms better.
- Different people found different treatment components helpful
- Respondents expressed considerable understandable concern for the future because of the lack of a cure or clear treatment plan
Recommendations
The report makes three main recommendations:
- To raise awareness of Long Covid among the general public, employers and people working in health and social care
Increased awareness is important in helping people experiencing Long Covid to recognise the symptoms and access treatment, and for reducing the stress associated with having to explain this little-understood condition to family, friends, colleagues and managers. A leaflet is available from the charity Long Covid Support. - To facilitate access to peer support
One theme from the survey was the desire for more peer support. Therefore an important action is to identify sources of peer support, both local and online, and thus enable the Integrated Post Covid Assessment Service to give all their patients information about the different sources of peer support that are available to them. - For the Integrated Post Covid Assessment Service to continue offering a range of different types of support, including support for emotional and psychological as well as physical symptoms as this is clearly valued by their patients
Anyone who is experiencing any of the symptoms associated with Long Covid should contact their GP.
Download the full report
File download
Experiences of Long Covid