The doctor in charge of NHS England’s response to Long COVID told Sky News that specialist clinics to treat the disease may be needed “much longer” than current funding allows.
National Long-Term COVID Task Force Chairman Dr Kiren Collison said the service, which has already been used by thousands of patients, may be needed beyond April next year .
“We recognize that this is a condition where the symptoms can be quite prolonged and we have already seen that of patients who had COVID Long a year ago, some people are still in pain, so there is this kind of delay to keep in mind. .
“We think it might have to go on for a lot longer,” she said.
NHS England has spent £ 34million to open 83 clinics, which serve as a referral system for people with Long COVID.
“By the end of 2020, we had 69 clinics across the country, which is huge – we now have 83,” added Dr Collison.
“We have to learn and see what the demand is.
“We didn’t put a lifespan on them… I expect it to last longer, but let’s keep learning and seeing what the researchers say.
“If the demand is there and they bring benefits to patients, we certainly won’t rule that out.”
NHS England did not have figures on the number of people using the clinics, which are run by individual NHS trusts.
Sky News obtained figures for five of the 83 departments, showing that by the start of March more than 2,200 patients had been treated.
A clinic – run by Sirona Care And Health in Bristol – has seen 200 people with Long COVID since December last year.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-05 22:01:00
