Long Covid

Marco Longhi Excerpts

Thursday 14th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[Marco Longhi (Dudley North) (Con) [V]]

I wish to concentrate my remarks in this debate on two things, which will hopefully show that even though long covid is not as high in word search functions, the Government and the NHS have not ignored it. My first observation is that, in the context of covid-19 itself still being a relatively new disease, the existence of long covid has been known about for even less time. I must say how impressed I am by the response of the Government and the NHS, which have put in place the comprehensive five-point plan for long covid support and made an investment of £10 million in post-covid assessment services currently spanning 69 trusts—almost half of all NHS hospitals in the UK.

Secondly, I will provide some real-time feedback from Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley North, which is my local hospital. It is one of the appointed assessment centres, and has informed me today that it has assessed more than 500 patients to date. It is working closely with primary and community care colleagues, and has produced a stratified, multi-professional offering for patients about the four main aspects of long covid, based on clinical severity and need. It is ensuring that patients with ongoing respiratory symptoms have access to imaging and respiratory nurse and clinician support, and that patients with other organ dysfunction are seen by the appropriate specialists, as are patients with musculoskeletal problems. Long covid patients can also benefit from our excellent Action Heart service, which is providing state-of-the-art exercise rehabilitation and already offers an excellent service to Dudley people. Patients requiring mental health support have full access to the NHS’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies scheme. Finally, there has been a series of workshops with local GPs and hospitals to better understand this condition and the support services required for ongoing care.

I am also advised that the clinical commissioning group is co-ordinating work in conjunction with all hospitals and CCGs across the Black Country to better understand the wider long-term impact of this condition. No doubt that will feed through NHS England so that we all have a better understanding of this terrible disease and its legacy.