Hundreds of people in Bristol area suffering from Long Covid

At least 250 people in the Bristol area are suffering from ‘Long Covid’ and many have been struggling for up to a year.

The worrying local picture of the debilitating post-viral syndrome has emerged since a new treatment service was set up for patients in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset in December 2020.

A lot more patients than expected have been referred by their GP, most of them from Bristol, and many of them have been suffering for nine to 12 months.

Surprisingly, most of them are working-age women rather than the groups hardest hit by Covid-19.

This tallies with new research suggesting working-age women are twice as likely to develop long Covid as working-age men.

Long Covid is the name given to life-changing symptoms such as overwhelming fatigue and breathlessness that plague some people for weeks or months after the initial illness.

Another common symptom is “brain fog”, or problems with concentration and memory, but anxiety and depression and other symptoms can also be a sign of long Covid.

Details about the local Long Covid service, one of 60 across the country, were revealed to a group of South Gloucestershire councillors on Wednesday, March 17.

Patients who need specialised support for their Long Covid symptoms are referred to the multi-disciplinary service by their GP, service lead Alex Layard said.

Layard, from the NHS clinical commissioning group (CCG) for Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, said the service has accepted close to 250 referrals since opening on December 15.

“I’ll be honest, it’s more than we were expecting,” she told members of South Gloucestershire Council’s health scrutiny committee.

Around 250 people have developed symptoms of Long Covid. Photo: Ellie Pipe

The referrals – 69 per cent from Bristol, 12 per cent from South Gloucestershire and 19 per cent from North Somerset – have also raised questions about the nature of Long Covid, which researchers are still learning about, Layard said.

Covid-19 disproportionately affects older people, men, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, and people living in more deprived or overcrowded areas.

But “very few” people from these groups have been referred to the Long Covid service, Layard said.

“The vast majority are female, predominantly aged between 35 and 65,” she said. “So that’s very different to the populations we saw affected by Covid.”

It is not known yet whether this is because some groups are more likely to develop Long Covid than others, or because some are more likely to seek help, the meeting heard.

Worryingly, the number of people developing Long Covid and the length of their illness is higher than expected.

Currently, Long Covid is defined as a post-viral syndrome with symptoms lasting for more than 12 weeks.

Research suggests two to ten per cent of people infected with Covid-19 will develop Long Covid.

“Our experience at the moment suggests it could be closer to the ten per cent mark,” Layard said.

“We’re also seeing a lot of referrals from the first wave of Covid last spring, so these are people who have been struggling for nine to 12 months, just not getting better, and that’s a worry as well.

“We also need to recognise some people might not get better. So we’re trying to keep going, give everyone the support that needs it, but also be flexible enough to tweak our services depending on what emerges from the research and also what people tell us they need.”

The number of those with Long Covid is higher that expected. Photo: Ellie Pipe

However, fewer than five per cent of Long Covid patients appear to suffer organ damage, which was one of the early concerns about the condition, the meeting heard.

There is no apparent link between the likelihood of getting Long Covid and the severity of the initial illness.

No children or young people have been referred to the Long Covid service in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Anyone who thinks they might need help from the service is asked to contact their GP for a referral. The service, set up using kickstart funding from NHS England, is for residents with long Covid who need more support than their GP or primary care service can provide.

Run by Sirona Care and Health, it takes referrals from GPs for people whose symptoms are significantly impacting how they are able to function in everyday life.

Most people are initially assessed via a virtual consultation, according to a CCG spokesperson. But the team also see patients face-to-face and hold clinics across all three areas for patients to come in to see a clinician.

Depending on where the patient lives, the clinic can take place at Knowle Clinic or John Milton Clinic in Bristol, Cossham Hospital in South Gloucestershire, For All Healthy Living Centre in Weston and Marina Healthcare Centre in Portishead.

People can find more information and support at www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk

Amanda Cameron is a local democracy reporter for Bristol.

Main photo: Martin Booth

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