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Long Covid figures hit record levels in Scotland


By Alan Beresford

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THE number of people living with long Covid in Scotland has reached a record high, new statistics have revealed.

The number of people in Scotland living with long Covid has hit a record high.
The number of people in Scotland living with long Covid has hit a record high.

New estimates from the Office of National Statistics show that 59,000 north of the border have been living with the condition for more than 12 months.

Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS), who is caring for people living with the condition, is calling for the Scottish Government to take urgent action.

The charity, who set-up a Long Covid Support Service which was jointly funded by the Scottish Government, fear new records will continue to be broken each month unless urgent action is taken to better integrate third sector services with the NHS and reach more people in need of support.

CHSS believes they are still not reaching everyone who needs their help due to the barriers that are created by the lack of referral and data-sharing systems.

Allan Cowie, Director of Service Delivery at Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government needs to approach Long Covid with more urgency.

"How many more records need to be broken before we see urgent action?

“We know that good work is being done in different parts of the country to support people with the condition. But we're not seeing the speed and urgency to join things up and make sure everyone is getting the help they desperately need now. We can’t keep delaying – more needs to be done.

“We need to make sure there is a wraparound service in place where people can easily be referred through to third sector services like ours from the NHS. By having this in place we can make sure patients aren’t falling through the cracks.”

If you are living with Long Covid and looking for advice and information, please contact Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s Long Covid Advice Line on 0808 801 0899 or email adviceline@chss.org.uk



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