Fresh hopes for families with children suffering with Long Covid
A mother from Ashington who’s son has been left in a wheel chair due to effects of long covid - tells us they’re relieved that he’ll soon be able to get specialist support.
The NHS is setting up specialist Long Covid services for children and young people as part of a £100 million expansion of care for those suffering from the condition. The 15 new paediatric hubs will draw together experts on common symptoms such as respiratory problems and fatigue who can directly treat youngsters, advise family doctors or others caring for them or refer them into other specialist services and clinics.
Sites in the North East which will be allocated a share of funding include, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NuTH) and the South Tees NHS Foundation Trust (James Cook University Hospital).
Nichola Careless's son and daughter have suffered from long covid. 11 year old Mani has been hit hardest once an active child he’s been left unable to walk after catching the virus in September. She tells us this a huge step forward:
"Mani use to be so active he played football and rugby, it's just heartbreaking that the same boy now can't walk. He still needs a wheelchair when we leave the house. Now after months of hearing that children don't get sick from covid it does feel like vindication to see these hubs being approved and I hope they can help families like ours get back to normal."
The Office of National Statistics suggest that as many as 72,000 kids in England are suffering symptoms of Long Covid, Nichola hopes that these new clinics can learn more about why the virus is effecting kids like Mani:
"He's got a cardiology appointment coming up and other appointments which I hope leads to a referral to one of these covid clinics which may gave us answers in the long run. As more and more research is done and they learn about the effects it has on the body, we're hoping that treatments will become available."
Nearly £30 million will also go to GPs to improve diagnosis and care for those with Long Covid while the new investment will also boost online services.The boost to dedicated services for young people is part of a package of investment in a range of measures to help young people and adults with long Covid, including a major focus on specialist treatment and rehab services.Some estimates suggest that 340,000 people may need support for the condition including 68,000 who will need rehab or other specialist treatment