A CHARITY supporting people living with long Covid has issued fresh calls to better co-ordinate care as figures show Scots are more likely to be hit harder by the condition than the UK average.
The ONS estimated figures on self-reported long Covid released yesterday have been viewed as a stark reminder that thousands of people’s lives in Scotland are being devastated by the condition, many of them for more than 12 months.
This month, Scotland saw the highest number of people estimated to be living with long Covid with figures reaching 100,000 – an increase of 1000 on last month. Scotland saw 25% of people with long Covid stating that their daily lives have been severely affected by the condition, compared to the UK-wide average of 19%.
Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) is now urging people to seek support through its Long Covid Support Service. Sufferers and family members can access support, advice and reassurance in dealing with the most common symptoms – such as breathlessness, fatigue and the impact on mental wellbeing.
READ MORE: Total number of positive Covid cases recorded in Scotland passes one million
It is also urging the Scottish Government to help improve co-ordination of long Covid services to make sure that people do not fall through the cracks. A key part of the charity’s Long Covid Action Plan is to ensure that health boards and GPs can refer to services like CHSS’s support service automatically.
The charity says that the Scottish Government’s new £10m fund for health boards to provide long Covid services should also help give people clarity about the help they can expect to receive, starting with diagnosis and treatment from the NHS.
Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive at Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, said: “It’s really worrying to see estimates that a quarter of people living with long Covid in Scotland find their lives completely changed by the condition – higher than the UK average. People who were once fit and healthy are telling us they’re struggling to get out of bed, look after their young children or even walk to end of their street. We need to make sure that people have far better access to long Covid support in 2022 to stop the trend from worsening. There are good services out there to help, but they need to be joined up.
"For example, the majority of GPs can’t automatically refer into our support service because local data sharing agreements need to be in place. We need a national approach or the support of Health Boards and the Scottish Government to get these agreements in place right across the country."
For advice and information on long Covid, call 0808 801 0899, text NURSE to 66777 or email adviceline@chss.org.uk
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