Calderdale people suffering long COVID will need help and support

The NHS defines post-COVID syndrome, or “long COVID”, as when a person cannot shake off the effects of the virus months after initially falling ill.

Symptoms are wide-ranging and fluctuating, and can include breathlessness, chronic fatigue, “brain fog”, anxiety and stress.

The issue was raised in the questions-to-Cabinet-members section of April’s full meeting of Calderdale Council.

Coun Audrey Smith (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) said the Government had set up long COVID centres but not all of them were open.

She asked if any support had been offered to Calderdale residents with long COVID, which had an impact on the workforce.

The Leader of the Council, Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town) said the issue was not just about the centres but people with quite extreme and long continuing conditions.

“In particular making sure GPs and other health professionals are aware of the forms it is starting to take, that health professionals know there are long conditions and responding appropriately,” he said.

Coun Swift said council services and primary care networks would need to work together to determine what the path would be to specialist centres and offer the appropriate support.

“It could be longer term support including counselling – it is part of a wider picture,” he said.

Coun Swift said he would provide Coun Smith with a more detailed response about the centres.