How the closure of long Covid clinics means patients don’t get the treatment they desperately need

Long Covid clinics across the country are closing their doors, leaving desperate patients without vital treatment and feeling ‘abandoned’, they claim.

Special clinics set up to support long-term Covid patients in Surrey, Croydon, Hertfordshire and Lanarkshire have closed, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

A service in Devon will close in the new year, patients have told this newspaper, and we hear clinics in Frimley may also face hell.

Now campaigners and doctors speaking to this newspaper say this reduction in long Covid provisions will have a devastating impact on the millions suffering from the condition.

“It shows that the NHS and the government are not interested in a long Covid-19,” said Kent GP Dr Stephanie De Giorgio.

Rachel Hext was forced to quit her job as a nurse in 2022 after never recovering from Covid

‘They really don’t see this as a priority, despite the huge number of people currently needing treatment – ​​and the many more people who may need treatment in the future. This is not a niche service – the NHS must accept long Covid-19 as a real and far-reaching problem.”

While most people recover from Covid within days or weeks and make a full recovery within three months, for some the symptoms last longer. An estimated 1.9 million people in Britain suffered ongoing problems after Covid in March 2023.

Patients report fatigue, shortness of breath, problems with memory and concentration – the so-called ‘brain fog’ – muscle and joint pain, dizziness and palpitations.

For some, these can be so severe that they can no longer work, go to school, or even perform the most basic daily tasks.

This was the case for 36-year-old Rachel Hext, who was forced to give up her work as a nurse two years ago after being infected with Covid and never recovered.

The mother-of-two first fell ill while working in a Covid ward at her hospital, just after returning from maternity leave. Later, Rachel was treated regularly at her nearest long Covid clinic in Torbay, Devon – after being referred by her GP.

Launched in November 2020 with a £10 million dedicated fund, these services are designed as a one-stop shop with a range of specialists who can help tackle the variety of complaints affecting long Covid patients.

But Rachel says her local clinic is closing soon. “In the spring, my doctor called to tell me the clinic would close for the summer,” she said.

‘He said I could still be treated by specialists for the conditions that had already been diagnosed.

But he couldn’t answer what would happen with new referrals, or how I would get help for any new problems that might arise.” Rachel said she was later told the facility had been granted an extension but would close in the new year.

When contacted by The Mail on Sunday, NHS Devon denied there were plans to retire their long Covid service, although emails from doctors working at the clinic contradict this.

The 36-year-old first fell ill while working in a Covid ward at her hospital

The mother-of-two, pictured with her children, says her local clinic in Devon is closed

Rachel says she fears for others around her with the condition if this crucial support is withdrawn.

“There are people who have a host of problems and who cannot get proper treatment without special long Covid clinics,” she said.

Long Covid campaigners say the closures are due to funding problems and fewer people seeking care from them.

Originally run by NHS England, responsibility for the clinics was transferred earlier this year to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) – the 42 bodies in England that allocate funding to local healthcare services.

In Scotland, fourteen NHS Boards fulfill a similar role. Support groups say patients and staff have reported closures and a reduction in services since this shift. They say key staff are being redeployed or leaving the NHS altogether.

“NHS England has downgraded Long Covid by not requiring ICBs to continue running the clinics,” said Manchester-based lung expert Dr Binita Kane.

‘They may claim that fewer people are using the services, but I suspect what is actually happening is that fewer people are testing for Covid now, making it harder to get a long Covid diagnosis later.

‘Long Covid patients who have had it for a while may have improved or are ironically considered too severe for treatment. This may make it seem like the clinics are less needed – but there are many more long Covid patients who need help.”

The challenge if all clinics close, Dr Kane added, is that these patients will now have to be admitted to existing services that are not set up to deal with their complex symptoms.

NHS England and the Scottish Government have been contacted for comment.

• Have you been affected by a long Covid clinic closure? Write to health@mailonsunday.co.uk